Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, Grammy… Do we really know — and truly value — how difficult it is for women to receive the world’s most prestigious awards?
The truth is this: Marie Curie is a name forever written into history as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Nearly a century has passed since then, yet women are still nowhere near parity when it comes to this prestigious recognition. For every 900 men who have been awarded the Nobel Prize over the years, there are only about 66 women who have received recognition from the Nobel Committee. Expressed in percentages, the gender gap becomes even more visible: less than 7 percent of all laureates are women.
Unfortunately, the Nobel Prize is far from the only example. The most prestigious global awards in science and the arts are still given to women extremely rarely — so rarely that such moments often feel like exceptions.
Do women receive the world’s most prestigious awards?
Research shows that if you are a woman, it is particularly difficult to gain recognition in economics or the natural sciences. Returning briefly to the Nobel Prize: only about 25 women have received awards in physics, chemistry, or medicine. Just three women have won the Nobel Prize in Economics, while the only fields where a larger number of female laureates has been recorded are literature and the peace prize.
It is equally difficult to receive recognition in architecture or in awards related to composition and conducting. More broadly, if you are a woman working behind the scenes in dance, music, or film, your chances of winning an award drop dramatically. Where is it somewhat easier? Performing music and literature. But even there, women receive only about one third of major recognitions, while the rest largely remain reserved for members of what is often described as the “boys’ club.”
Share of women among laureates in major awards
| Award | Field | Share of women laureates |
|---|---|---|
| Nobel Prize (all fields) | science / peace / literature | ~6–7% |
| Academy Awards (non-acting categories) | film | ~17–25% of nominations |
| Pulitzer Prize | journalism / literature | ~14–30% (rising) |
| Fields Medal | mathematics | ~2% |
| Turing Award | computer science | ~5% |
| Pritzker Architecture Prize | architecture | ~8% |
| Booker Prize | literature | ~35% |
| Grammy Awards (general categories) | music | ~10–20% |
| Emmy Awards | television industry | ~30% (varies) |
Why do women (not) receive the most prestigious awards?
Are you familiar with the term the Matilda Effect? This concept from the sociology of science describes the tendency for women scientists to receive less recognition for the same or similar scientific contributions as their male colleagues. This inequality has been documented through analyses of citation patterns, nomination processes, and award decisions.
Major awards often operate through nomination networks of power, in which former laureates nominate new candidates. Since these elite networks have historically been predominantly male, a closed circle emerges in which recognition is more likely to be granted to individuals within the same professional and social circles.
Research also points to differences in visibility and perceptions of leadership. Women are more likely to work in teams, while men are more often portrayed or recognized as individual geniuses or leaders. Because awards frequently favor narratives of singular, heroic achievement, this dynamic can contribute to the lower representation of women among laureates.
The structure of career trajectories also plays a role. In many fields, peak professional recognition tends to occur between the ages of 50 and 60. Women, however, are more likely to experience career interruptions due to caregiving responsibilities, which can slow advancement and reduce the visibility of their achievements.
There is also evidence of thematic bias in certain areas, particularly in literary and film awards. Topics traditionally perceived as “male,” such as war, politics, or major historical events, have long been considered more significant — a pattern highlighted in analyses of awards such as the Booker Prize and the Pulitzer Prize.
Change is slow — but possible
Still, the picture is not entirely bleak. Since 2000, there has been a clear upward trend in the number of women receiving the most prestigious awards. More than one third of all Nobel Prizes awarded to women have been granted in this millennium alone. A similar pattern can be seen at the Academy Awards, where women have reached about 30 percent of total nominees in the past 15 years.
Sociologists attribute this shift to several factors: the growing number of women in science, economics, and technical fields; increased transparency in award selection processes; and, perhaps most importantly, stronger institutional support for gender equality.
Photo: Freepik.com
