Nobel Prize winners are being announced this week. While no women have been awarded the prestigious prize so far this year we want to look back at the women who have changed the world.
The Nobel Prize and Prize in Economic Sciences have been awarded to women 49 times between 1901 and 2016. Only one woman, Marie Curie, has been honored twice, with the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics and the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Women are increasingly being recognized for their world-changing achievements, but when we compare the number of winners (women have won it 49 times, men 825 times, and organizations 26 times) it shows that there is still more work to be done to close the gender gap. Comparing just women to men, the former has received the honor 5.6% of the time.
Not all categories of the Prize are created equal, however. Of the six categories, the Nobel Prize for literature has had the most female representation (12.5%), with the Nobel Peace Prize following closely behind (12.4%). Physics has had the least female recipients (around 1%).
So let’s take a look at the Nobel Prize awarded to women from 1901-2016 by category and chronological order.
PHYSICS
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1963
“for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903
“in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel”
CHEMISTRY
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009
“for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1964
“for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances”
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1935
“in recognition of their synthesis of new radioactive elements”
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911
“in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element”
MEDICINE
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015
“for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014
“for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009
“for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009
“for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008
“for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004
“for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1995
“for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1988
“for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986
“for their discoveries of growth factors”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1983
“for her discovery of mobile genetic elements”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1977
“for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1947
Gerty Theresa Cori, née Radnitz
“for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen”
LITERATURE
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015
“for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013
“master of the contemporary short story”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2009
“who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2007
“that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2004
“for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society’s clichés and their subjugating power”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1996
“for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1993
“who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1991
“who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1966
“for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel’s destiny with touching strength”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1945
“for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1938
“for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1928
“principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1926
“for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general”
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1909
“in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings”
PEACE
“for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”
“for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”
“for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”
“for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”
“for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”
“for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children”
“for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines”
“in recognition of her work for social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples”
“for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights”
Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner, née Countess Kinsky von Chinic und Tettau
SVERIGES RIKSBANK PRIZE IN ECONOMIC SCIENCES
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2009
“for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons”
The number of female Nobel Laureates is gradually increasing. Here’s hoping this progress continues—and speeds up.
