The argument is not that women and men will achieve the exact same outcomes. There may well be reasons that talented women are drawn more to vaccine development than to other areas. Still, the recent and unprecedented impact of women in this field means that there are other endeavors, which society cares about, that would greatly benefit from more involvement by women.
The story of vaccines in the 21st century shows two things. The first is that society could still do a much better job at allocating talent, and reap similar gains across a broader variety of areas. The second is that it is possible to remedy talent misallocations, if we are willing to take the necessary steps.
If you are looking for something hopeful amid the millions of tragic Covid experiences, that’s not a bad place to start.
Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of economics at George Mason University and writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. His books include The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream.