« GREEDY WORK » or « TRAVAIL CUPIDE »

Claudia Goldin (Prize in Economic Sciences 2023) uses the term “greedy work“(“travail cupide” in French) to describe a job that disproportionately rewards someone who works longer hours, for example, by accepting overtime, and over a longer period of time. The company will penalize people who are unwilling (or unable) to give their whole lives to work. This is generally the case for women, who, because of the societal expectations imposed on them (domestic work and caring in their private lives), would be less flexible or would turn to jobs that require less flexibility.

[….] Claudia Goldin insists that “greedy work” is the reason why wage inequalities persist. “If we want to reduce or even eradicate the wage gap, we must first get to the root of these setbacks and give the problem a more precise name: greedy work,” she writes.
Her work has highlighted the fact that men’s and women’s salaries are similar just after finishing school. The same is true for the first few years, when, for equal work and experience, the gaps are small. Ten years after graduation, however, the gap widens considerably – at the average age of first childbirth. “Why can’t women climb the corporate ladder at the same pace as their male counterparts? Why aren’t they paid in line with their experience and seniority?” she asks. […]

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