The Nobel Prize winners of 2016 have been revealed, but not everybody is happy with the results. Much like the Academy Awards of this year, there appeared to be a certain bias.
Women were nowhere to be seen on the list of Nobel Prize winners, and now social media is playing host to another protest. Were female contributions simply underwhelming, or were they overlooked because of their gender? This is the question ringing through the minds of women across Twitter today.
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Only 48 women in total have won Nobel Prizes—out of more than 800 winners since it was established in 1895 https://t.co/CZKgaQaRsn @Jezebel
— Ms.FoundationWomen (@msfoundation) October 13, 2016
Even noted neurobiologist and Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik noticed the lack of women among the awarded, though she seemed delighted that Bob Dylan has been recognized for the category of literature.
The @NobelPrize in literature goes to #BobDylan ! Wow. Maybe some women next year please? But this sure is awesome. pic.twitter.com/BwnogSiVKb
— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) October 13, 2016
People are upset that no women won Nobel Prizes this year https://t.co/H47X92kqst
— Mashable (@mashable) October 13, 2016
Out of all of the Nobel Prize winners in the last 100 years, only 14 of them turned out to be women, and now that it’s been noticed, there could be a major overhaul in how the awards are determined. This is also the first year in a long time that all of the awarded were men , according to USA Today .
The Nobel Prize Twitter account attempted to brag about the 14 winners of the female persuasion, but the social media site quickly drew angry replies. Wikipedia states that 822 men and 48 women have been awarded, showing how long this has been happening.
#NobelFacts 14 women have been awarded the #NobelPrize in Literature between 1901 and 2015: pic.twitter.com/6koJB1XXPN
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 13, 2016
The United Nations drew similar ire for naming a fictional character as their ambassador and champion, according to BBC . Wonder Woman, the noted DC Comics Amazonian, was recognized for being a symbol of what women can do when freed of a dominantly male society. However, women are angered because the U.N. chose a fictional character over an actual human female. Wonder Woman isn’t even human in fictional terms.
Wonder Woman to become UN women’s champion https://t.co/GCogkXIdn6
— Adena Fukano (@adenafukar) October 13, 2016
And on the day that no women got a Nobel Prize, @UN appoints a CARTOON CHARACTER as its women’s champion #JoinWE https://t.co/sCpom0IZT3
— SophieWalker (@SophieRunning) October 13, 2016
We have yet to see if current ambassador for gender equality Emma Watson has an issue with the decision.
14 women and 101 men doesn’t exactly make my heart swell with optimism and joy, Nobel Prize. https://t.co/ghANbIJvT0
— Elizabeth May (@_ElizabethMay) October 13, 2016
. @mostafa @NobelPrize shame is served: that there isn’t a single woman. Women are engaged in powerful work too
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) October 13, 2016
The decision to name not one female Nobel Prize winner in 2016 also mirrors an issue with equal pay in Hollywood and most other businesses. That issue had come to light when Jennifer Lawrence used her position as an A-list actress to write an open letter to the internet. Coming straight from playing the lead in The Hunger Games , and Mystique in the X-Men prequels, her voice was heard, leading to more female-centric films in recent years.
What do you think about the lack of women among 2016’s Nobel Prize winners and such a small number of women among the total awards throughout history?
[Featured Image via superjoseph/Shutterstock.com]
