In a recent article published in Life & Arts on October 21, Tom Harford sheds light on how allowing unnecessarily “greedy” jobs can significantly reduce women’s earnings. While Harford primarily discusses high-earning jobs, the practice also affects women who work part-time, ultimately impacting their careers at various occupational levels and having long-term effects throughout their lives.

One of the negative repercussions of being labeled as a part-timer is that it can limit women’s career opportunities and undervalue their qualifications and competences. This not only serves as an irrational barrier to women’s performance but also highlights the unfairness in the current system. It is worth noting that women now outperform men educationally in many OECD countries, making this issue even more concerning.

To address these challenges, it is crucial to not only focus on the problem of “greedy” jobs but also to recognize the broader impact of part-time work on women’s careers. As such, changes must be made to create more equitable opportunities for women in the workforce, ensuring that they are valued and rewarded based on their skills and abilities rather than their employment status.