In 1980, when I started law practice, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the reigning World Series champions; apple was my choice of fruit, not the world’s largest corporation by market capitalization; I typed on an IBM Selectric typewriter; Jimmy Carter was president; and the best-selling single was “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police.
It also took 10 man-hours to fashion a ton of finished steel. Three decades later, it takes two person-hours to accomplish the same task. That’s not because all of those new female steelworkers are five times as strong.
