No belles: the second sex.IN an attempt to validate the claim that high genius is, with few exceptions, limited to the male sex, there is probably no better material available than the distribution of the Nobel Prize Nobel Prize, award given for outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, peace, or literature. The awards were established by the will of Alfred Nobel, who left a fund to provide annual prizes in the five areas listed above. among men and women. As is well known, the Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel, in his will, written in 1895, just about a year before his death, provided that the annual returns of his great fortune be divided into five equal parts and awarded as prizes to those who have lately made the most important contributions in the categories of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace. Since 1969, an additional prize in Economics in memory of Alfred Nobel has been awarded by the Bank of Sweden. Let us first take a look at the Nobel Prizes Nobel Prizes Year Peace Chemistry Physics Physiology or Medicine Literature 1901 J. H. Dunant Frédéric Passy J. H. van't Hoff W. C. Roentgen E. A. von Behring R. F. A. Sully-Prudhomme 1902 Élie Ducommun C. A. in the Natural Sciences during the years 1943 - 1995, i.e., after the Second World War, when we find ever-increasing numbers of female university students. Among a total number of 102 laureates in Physics after World War II, just one (Maria Goeppert-Mayer Maria Goeppert-Mayer (June 28, 1906 – February 20, 1972) was a German-born American theoretical physicist. In 1963 she received the Nobel Prize in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus, becoming one of only two women to receive a Nobel Prize in , 1963) was female out of 83 laureates in Chemistry, likewise just one (Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin, OM , FRS (12 May 1910 – 29 July 1994) was a British founder of protein crystallography. She pioneered the technique of X-ray crystallography, a method used to determine the three dimensional structures of biomolecules. , 1964) was female. Among as many as 120 laureates in Medicine, there were 6 women (Gerty Theresa Cori, 1947; Rosalyn Yalow, 1977; Barbara McClintock This article is about the American scientist. For the American illustrator, see Barbara McClintock (illustrator). Barbara McClintock (June 16, 1902 – September 2, 1992) was a pioneering American scientist and one of the world's most distinguished cytogeneticists. , 1983; Rita Levi-Montalcini Rita Levi-Montalcini (born April 22, 1909) is an Italian neurologist who, together with colleague Stanley Cohen, received the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of growth factors. Today she is the oldest living Nobel laureate. , 1986; Gertrude Belle Elion, 1988; and Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, 1995). If we also consider the laureates of the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics in memory of Alfred Nobel, we find 38 recipients -- none female. With only 8 women (2.3 per cent) out of 343 Nobel laureates Winners of the Nobel Prize are scientists, writers and peacemakers who have been awarded in their field of endeavour, and who are known collectively as either Nobel laureates or Nobel Prize winners. in Science and Economics in the last 50 years, we can safely assert: For research in its highest power, testicles Testicles Also called testes or gonads, they are part of the male reproductive system, and are located beneath the penis in the scrotum. Mentioned in: Testicular Cancer, Testicular Surgery, Vasectomy are, as a rule, required. Of course, if we consider the situation before World War II, i.e., during the years 1901 - 1939, we then find that the situation for women is connected with one single name, viz. Curie Curie (kürē`), family of French scientists. Pierre Curie, 1859–1906, scientist, and his wife, Marie Sklodowska Curie, 1867–1934, chemist and physicist, b. . Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie together received one half of the Prize in Physics in 1903 (the other half went to Henri Becquerel). After the death of her husband, Marie Curie -- by herself -- received the Prize in Chemistry in 1911. Finally, Marie Curie's daughter, Ircne Joliot-Curie, received the Prize in Chemistry in 1935, together with her husband, Frederic Joliot. Among 46 laureates in Physics, there was 1 woman; among 40 laureates in Chemistry, 2 were women; whereas all 42 laureates in Medicine were men; this means 3 female laureates among a total of 128. The female representation is exactly the same (2.3 per cent) as after World War II, and the conclusion must be the same: First-class research normally requires a high level of blood testosterone. NOT surprisingly, if we consider the Prize for Literature, the representation of women is considerably better than in the sciences. Out of a total number of 92 laureates in Literature in the period 1901 - 1995, 8 were women (Selma Lagerlof, 1909; Grazia Deledda, 1926; Sigrid Undset, 1928; Pearl Buck, 1938; Gabriela Mistral, 1945; Nelly Sachs, 1966; Nadine Gordimer, 1991; and Toni Morrison, 1993). This makes 8.7 per cent. Still, out of a total of 563 Nobel laureates in the Natural Sciences, Economics and Literature in the period, 1901 - 1995, we find only 19 women or 3.4 per cent. The conclusion that high genius is a male characteristic therefore seems to hold true even if literature is included. |
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