Claudia Goldin wins the Nobel Prize in Economics this year.

Third woman to win the award, and first ever female solo winner. Really great choice. She's got a ton of great research on women in the workforce, particularly around female employment and the gender wage gap. But I thought I'd highlight a paper that probably won't get as much attention on the effects of the Pill on women's education, careers, and marriage decisions.

While the Pill first was available in 1960, it didn't spread to young unmarried till the end of the decade as states lowered the age of majority and increased the rights of mature minors.

I'll spare you the econometrics and just show some of the charts from the paper. Her paper shows how the Pill helped lower the cost of education and career investment in young, unmarried women. Both by a direct effect by reducing the risk of pregnancy, and an indirect effect by thickening the marriage market for women who invested in their careers by raising the average age of first marriage and improving marriage matching.

The first chart shows the increase in female professional education coinciding with the diffusion of the Pill among young, single women. The second chart shows the delay in marriage. The third chart shows the decrease in the age single women started having sex.

Of course the Pill wasn't singlehandedly responsible for all these changes, but it fits the data and timing better than abortion reform (which wasn't a primary form of contraception at the time). And it is more explanatory than demand side explanations regarding women's rights.