Between 1901 and 2024, 66 Nobel Prizes and Sveriges Riksbank Prizes in Economic Sciences have been awarded to women. This figure includes Marie Curie, who received two Nobel Prizes. Consequently, 65 individual women have been honored with these prestigious accolades.
These achievements are incredibly important for women because they:
- Break barriers: Every Nobel Prize awarded to a woman shatters the glass ceiling, proving that women are capable of reaching the highest levels of intellectual and societal contribution.
- Inspire future generations: Young girls, seeing women honored for their groundbreaking work in science, literature, peace, and economics, are inspired to pursue their own dreams and ambitions without limits.
- Challenge stereotypes: These achievements dismantle harmful stereotypes about women’s roles and capabilities, paving the way for a more equitable and just society.
These achievements can change the world further by:
- Driving innovation: When women have equal opportunities, they contribute significantly to scientific, technological, and societal progress.
- Promoting peace and justice: Women leaders in peace movements and human rights have proven their effectiveness in fostering understanding and resolving conflict.
- Enriching our understanding of the world: Women’s perspectives and experiences bring unique insights to literature, the arts, and all fields of human endeavor.
In essence, recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women through the Nobel Prize is not just about honoring individual brilliance; it’s about creating a world where every woman has the opportunity to reach her full potential and contribute to a better future for all.
The Genesis of the Nobel Prizes
Alfred Nobel, a renowned inventor, entrepreneur, and businessman, stipulated in his will that his fortune be used to establish prizes honoring those who had made significant contributions to humanity. These prizes were to recognize outstanding achievements in the fields that most interested Nobel himself: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
Following his passing, a meticulous process ensued to bring his vision to fruition. The inaugural Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901. In 1969, a new prize, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was added to commemorate the tercentenary of Sweden’s central bank.
Each October, the world eagerly awaits the announcement of the latest Nobel Prize recipients and their groundbreaking achievements.
The Nobel Prize in Physics:
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023: Awarded to Anne L’Huillier and two other scientists “for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020: Awarded to Andrea Ghez and two other scientists “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2018: Awarded toDonna Strickland and Gérard Mourou “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics” – specifically their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 1963: Awarded to Maria Goeppert Mayer and two other scientists “for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903: Awarded to Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre Curie “in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel.”
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry:
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022: Awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi and two other scientists “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.”
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020: Awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing.”
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018: Awarded to Frances H. Arnold and two other scientists “for the directed evolution of enzymes.”
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009: Awarded to Ada E. Yonath and two other scientists “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.”
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1964: Awarded to Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin “for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances.”
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1935: Awarded to Irène Joliot-Curie and her husband, Frédéric Joliot-Curie “in recognition of their synthesis of new radioactive elements.”
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911: Awarded to Marie Curie “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.”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine:
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023: Awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman “for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015: Awarded to Tu Youyou and two other scientists “for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014: Awarded to May-Britt Moser and her husband, Edvard I. Moser “for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009: Awarded to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak “for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008: Awarded to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and two other scientists “for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004: Awarded to Linda B. Buck and Richard Axel “for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1995: Awarded to Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and two other scientists “for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1988: Awarded to Gertrude B. Elion and two other scientists “for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986: Awarded to Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen “for their discoveries of growth factors.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1983: Awarded to Barbara McClintock “for her discovery of mobile genetic elements.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1977: Awarded to Rosalyn Yalow and two other scientists “for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones.”
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1947: Awarded to Gerty Cori and her husband, Carl Ferdinand Cori “for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen.”
The Nobel Prize in Literature:
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2024: Awarded to Han Kang “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2022: Awarded to Annie Ernaux “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2020: Awarded to Louise Glück “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2018: Awarded to Olga Tokarczuk “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015: Awarded to Svetlana Alexievich “for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2013: Awarded to Alice Munro “master of the contemporary short story.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2009: Awarded to Herta Müller “who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 2007: Awarded to Doris Lessing “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: Awarded to Elfriede Jelinek “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: Awarded to Wisława Szymborska “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: Awarded to Toni Morrison “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: Awarded to Nadine Gordimer “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: Awarded to Nelly Sachs “for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel’s destiny with touching strength.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 1945: Awarded to Gabriela Mistral “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: Awarded to Pearl Buck “for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 1928: Awarded to Sigrid Undset “principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages.”
- The Nobel Prize in Literature 1926: Awarded to Grazia Deledda “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: Awarded to Selma Lagerlöf “in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings.”
The Nobel Peace Prize:
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2023: Awarded to Narges Mohammadi and two other organizations “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2021: Awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2018: Awarded to Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2014: Awarded to Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”
In summary, while Marie Curie stands as a unique example with two Nobel Prizes, the list of women honored with these prestigious awards reflects a growing recognition of women’s intellectual and societal contributions.
Source:
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/nobel-prize-awarded-women/
