Women Nobel laureates: A journey through time and nations

Since the inception of the Nobel Prizes in 1901, these prestigious awards have recognised individuals who have made outstanding contributions to humanity in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and later, Economic Sciences.

Among the laureates, 65 women have steadily carved their place in history and overcome significant barriers of gender inequality, systemic bias, and lack of opportunity against the contrast of 904 men laureates. Their stories and nationalities reflect broader social shifts and global progress in the inclusion of women in science, literature, and activism.

The first woman to receive a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie in 1903. She was honoured in Physics alongside her husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for their work on radioactivity. Remarkably, she remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences—she won the Chemistry Prize in 1911 for her discovery of radium and polonium.

Since then, over 60 women have been awarded Nobel Prizes (as of 2024), with representation across all categories.

Peace (19 women winners)

The Peace Prize has historically had the highest female representation. Notable winners include:

Bertha von Suttner (Austria-Hungary) – 1905, the first woman to win the Peace Prize.

Mother Teresa (India) – 1979, for her humanitarian work.

Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan) – 2014, youngest laureate ever, honoured for advocacy of girls' education.

Literature (17 women winners)

Female voices have also resonated in the world of literature:

Selma Lagerlöf (Sweden) – 1909, first female Literature laureate.

Toni Morrison (USA) – 1993, a literary icon addressing African-American life and culture.

Olga Tokarczuk (Poland) – 2018, awarded for a "narrative imagination that represents the crossing of boundaries."

Medicine (13 women winners)

Women in medical science have received increasing recognition, such as:

Barbara McClintock (USA) – 1983, for her work in genetics.

Tu Youyou (China) – 2015, for discovering artemisinin, a breakthrough in malaria treatment.

Chemistry (8 women winners)

Aside from Marie Curie, recent milestones include:

Emmanuelle Charpentier (France) and Jennifer Doudna (USA) – 2020, for developing CRISPR gene-editing technology.

Physics (5 women winners)

Still a highly male-dominated field, but progress continues:

Donna Strickland (Canada) – 2018, third woman after Curie and Maria Goeppert-Mayer to win.

Andrea Ghez (USA) – 2020, for discoveries related to black holes.

Economic Sciences (3 women winners)

A relatively new category (established in 1969), with few female laureates:

Elinor Ostrom (USA) – 2009, the first woman to win in Economics.

Claudia Goldin (USA) – 2023, for advancing understanding of women’s labour market outcomes.

Where do they come from?

While women laureates come from a range of countries, several regions dominate:

The United States is the most represented country in terms of science and economics.

Europe: Countries like France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK have produced numerous female laureates.

Asia: India, China, Japan, Iran, and Pakistan have seen laureates mostly in Peace and Medicine.

Africa and Latin America: Representation has been limited but notable, such as Wangari Maathai (Kenya)—the first African woman to win the Peace Prize in 2004.