THE FEMALE WINNERS OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY (1901 - 2020)

This paper contemplates the scientific contributions of the seven winners, from the creation of the Nobel Prize to the year 2020. The laureates are Marie Curie, Irène Joliot-Curie, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Ada Yonath, Frances Hamilton Arnold, Emmanuelle Marie Charpentier, and Jennifer Anne Doudna. In 112th editions of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, there were 186 awards, where only seven winners were women, an amount less than 4% of the total, which makes clear the low female representation. Marie was the pioneer, being the first woman to win, alone, a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She was the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes, and the only person awarded in two distinct scientific areas: Chemistry and Physics. Only Marie and Dorothy received the award alone, Irène, Ada and Frances shared the award with men, and Emmanuelle and Jennifer became the first pair of women to share a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. There is an evident under-representation of women in the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, but this should not be a reason not to remember and celebrate the trajectory of these brilliant scientists, who must be present in training courses in scientific areas, as well as in Basic Education schools.

Keywords:
Nobel prize; women scientists; chemistry; gender inequality; women’s representation