PBS, October 14, 2019: Why the 2019 Nobel Prizes in STEM struggled with diversity
If you tally all of the Nobel Prizes in the sciences in history, awards have been given to only 21 women, or 3% of the 700 laureates.
The lack of diversity in race, gender and geography among the prestigious international science award winners continues despite changes aimed at making the nomination process more inclusive. Last year, more women were elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry and economics. By involving more women in the selection and nomination process, the organizations that award the Nobel Prizes hoped that female participants would promote the work of their female peers — steps that have proven effective for other organizations. The scientists who make the nominations were instructed to consider diversity for this year’s awards.
