Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna awarded: an historical 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, questioning the place of women in science

On the 7th of October 2020, the Swedish Academy awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly to the French Emmanuelle Charpentier and the American Jennifer A. Doudna for their work on gene editing - a revolutionary method known as « molecular scissors » allowing for the possibility to « rewriting the code of life ». This prize is historic as it is the first, since it was awarded to Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin in 1964 (and only the third time in history after the prize was given to Marie Curie in 1911), to be awarded exclusively to female researchers.

Following in the steps of those who came before them, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna will more than ever be inspiring role models, encouraging women to pursue their careers in science. These important accolades are still rare. Since the creation of the Nobel Prize in 1901, among the 621 scientists awarded prizes in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, only 22 have been women. Woman have been awarded less than 4%[1] of all Nobel Science prizes.

Discrimination against women researchers still weighs heavily on the science secteur. Today, women make up 29%[2] of scientific researchers. In Europe, just 14%[3] of senior academic positions are filled by women. The current global health crisis offers yet another edifying example of this gender gap: 90%[4] of all Covid-19 articles came from men. In France, between March and May 2020, the CSA (French TV and radio regulatory body) and INA (French national audiovisual institute) clearly demonstrated that women in science were under-represented in the media[5].

Stereotypes sustaining this unacceptable observation, must be combatted once and for all. For the last 22 years, this has been our mission with the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards. This initiative has shone a light on and supported 112 eminent female researchers from all over the world, for their remarkable contribution to scientific progress. Indeed, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna both received the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards in 2016 for research work that today has merited the Nobel Prize.

The battle for diversity and equal opportunities in scientific careers needs to happen as soon as possible: in France, the numbers are slightly below the world average with just 28%[6] of women researchers. Whilst they are better represented in biology, they still only represent 23% in mathematics and computer science, and in physics, 22%[7]. In addition to the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, for outstanding female scientists, the Fondation L'Oréal, has partnered for the last 13 years with the French National Commission for UNESCO to reward French Young Talents. Each year, a jury of excellence awards 35 PhD students and post-doctorates, from over 700 applications, in fields as diverse as medicine, astronomy, computer science and chemistry. All talented and passionate, their aim is to encourage future generations to believe in their potential and to pursue a career in science. Because they themselves were at times able to draw inspiration from daring and courageous women along the way, they in turn hope to inspire the younger generation. Each year, the program supports nearly 250 promising scientists worldwide.

The decade ahead will be crucial for the future of humanity itself. Ecologically, socially and economically - we are facing challenges of an unprecedented magnitude. In order to face these challenges, society will need to harness the talent and engagement of everyone, women as much as men. Today’s young women researchers must be able, without prejudice, without obstacles and without differential treatment, to become the Nobel Prize winners of tomorrow. So that the names of Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer A. Doudna, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Ada Yonath and Elizabeth H. Blackburn[8]’s and the others can no longer be counted on one hand. The future must be inclusive, or there will be no future.

[1] Source www.nobelprize.org

[2] Report from UNESCO on science towards 2030 (2015).

[3] She Figures, 2018.

[4] ANNALSATS Articles in Press, July 15th, 2020.

[5] « La représentation des femmes dans les médias audiovisuels pendant l'épidémie de Covid-19 », The CSA collections, June 2020.

[6] Source UNESCO, 2017: http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/fr?theme=science-technology-and-innovation

[7] Study « Vers l’égalité femmes-hommes ? Chiffres-clefs », Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (2019).

[8] All Laureates of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards.