Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.
Marie Curie, Physics and Chemistry Laureate 1903 and 1911
“On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace – the Nobel Prizes. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.” (quoted from Nobelprize.org) On 10 December 2022 this year’s main award ceremonies take place in Stockholm and Oslo, adding the latest laureates to the list.
Most female awardees come by far from the USA: 19 out of 67 total, Followed by France (7), Germany (4), United Kingdom (3), Sweden (3) and Poland (3).
The distribution of prizes is not only unbalanced from a geographical but also a gender perspective: 70 women vs. 1055 men in 121 years of the Nobel prizes. Marie Curie was the first women to be awarded a Nobel prize, in Physic, jointly with her husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for the discovery of Radium. In 1911 she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Only 21 awards were given to female scientists in the categories Physics, Medicine and Chemistry, the others were awarded for achievements in the field of Literature or the fight for Peace.
