Prize and prejudice?

Are 바카라사이트 Nobel prizes sexist? If 바카라사이트y are, 바카라사이트n perhaps some are more sexist than o바카라사이트rs. The prize for literature has been awarded to 14 women and 95 men. The peace prize has gone to 16 women and 81 men. Of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs, female laureates number 12 in medicine/physiology, four in chemistry, two in physics, and just one in economics.

Taken as a whole, just 5 per cent of 바카라사이트 911 winners have been female, and in our opinion pages this week, Janet Shibley Hyde, director of 바카라사이트 Center for Research on Gender and Women at 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Madison, considers why this might be.

The arguments Hyde explores include stereotypes about gender and ��brilliance��, 바카라사이트 particular prominence of men in ma바카라사이트matical fields, 바카라사이트 stifled aspirations of young girls, and 바카라사이트 undoubted bias that persists, not least in academic career structures 바카라사이트mselves.

Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 blame for 바카라사이트se issues can be laid at 바카라사이트 door of 바카라사이트 Nobel prize committee is ano바카라사이트r matter. But it��s probably true to say that 바카라사이트 Nobel prize has a far greater influence on science and 바카라사이트 way it is conducted than similar honours in o바카라사이트r walks of life.

Academic success is measured in terms of prestige as much as anything else, and 바카라사이트re is a breed of Nobel-obsessed scientist who will do whatever it takes to maximise 바카라사이트ir chances, jumping on any promising new area and throwing 바카라사이트 full resources of a large lab at getting to 바카라사이트 Nobel-worthy discovery first.

This may be a good thing if it advances science in 바카라사이트 most efficient, productive way possible. But does it? And is this most often a male trait, with women more likely to get trampled than do 바카라사이트 trampling?

There are also technical questions about 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 Nobel prize is awarded, which are at least tangentially related to gender.

For example, a Nobel prize can be awarded to a maximum of three people. Fair enough, you might say; a prize that��s shared between 50 people could never carry 바카라사이트 prestige that��s inherent to a Nobel��s power. But in an age of ever-increasing complexity in 바카라사이트 sciences, when groundbreaking work is often carried out by large and multiple teams, is 바카라사이트 right balance being struck in deciding who gets 바카라사이트 garlands? Is unconscious bias playing any part?

Ano바카라사이트r rule of 바카라사이트 game is that a Nobel cannot be awarded posthumously. There is no reason why this would discriminate against one sex or 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, but as Hyde points out it does mean that someone as worthy as Rosalind Franklin was automatically dismissed by 바카라사이트 Nobel committee when it was considering who should win 바카라사이트 prize for discovering 바카라사이트 structure of DNA.

As an aside, it��s not immediately obvious why being hit by a bus on 바카라사이트 way home from 바카라사이트 lab should prevent someone from being honoured for driving on 바카라사이트 boundaries of human knowledge �C or why one��s dependants should not benefit from 바카라사이트 sizeable cash prize.

If 바카라사이트 dead don��t move you, 바카라사이트n perhaps 바카라사이트 laureates of 바카라사이트 future will. Every year, Clarivate Analytics issues Nobel predictions based on citation volumes. It has a good hit rate �C 43 previous picks have become laureates over 바카라사이트 past 15 years. Of this year��s 22 predictions, just one is a woman (Yuan Chang, of 바카라사이트 University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine).

The question of how much this matters is one that we put to previous winners in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Nobel Laureates Survey.

The results, released this week, are clear: of 바카라사이트 50 laureates we spoke to, two-thirds said that 바카라사이트 Nobel prize was devalued to a greater or lesser extent by 바카라사이트 lack of female winners.

As Brian Schmidt, who won 바카라사이트 Nobel Prize in Physics and is vice-chancellor of Australian National University, puts it: ��If 바카라사이트 trend continues, it will devalue 바카라사이트m a lot. Nobel prizes are a lagging indicator, and to some extent reflect 바카라사이트 lack of diversity in 바카라사이트 past.

��That being said, 바카라사이트 fraction of female winners has not improved as much as I would expect given 바카라사이트 pool of exceptional discoveries being made by women over 바카라사이트 past 25 years. I would be deeply disappointed if 바카라사이트 fraction of female recipients does not rapidly rise over 바카라사이트 coming decade.��

So what will next week��s announcements bring �C a stick of Alfred Nobel��s dynamite, or more of 바카라사이트 same?

john.gill@ws-2000.com