The tiny proportion of women and non-white winners underscores the need to
reconfigure our human structures to allow talent to flourish
Who wouldn’t like to win a Nobel? Well, your chances do not depend on your
brilliance alone. Gender and birthplace are a major influence on the
likelihood of success.
Since the awards were first given out in 1901, men have won 836 Nobel prizes
compared to just 49 for women. Asia, Africa and Latin America hold a
combined 84% of the world’s population, but have provided just 12.5% of
winners.
To a highly disproportionate degree, Nobel laureates tend to be white men
from Europe, or of European stock but born in North America.