The Nobel Prize and its Connection to Women

Currently, in the United States of America, there is a great problem with sexism. It started when the country was created with “all men are created equal”. Then there were the issues that men should be seen as the providers for the family. Later, they (men) came to agreement that women should be educated. Still, women are discriminated (in education and everyday life).

One such example of this mistreatment is with Jocelyn Bell Burnell. In her case, she discovered a new transforming neutron star, which people had originally thought wasn’t real. She made the discovery but published it with her supervisor. When she didn’t received the Nobel Prize, but her supervisor got it, she wasn’t very mad. Instead, she was happy that she could get more smaller awards that elated her more. She then would use the money that she won to create scholarships for minorities to study physics. Women, like Jocelyn, are so used to being in the shadows of men that what happened to her didn’t even anger her. This entire event is just one such occurrence of chauvinism. Another time was about one month later (the beginning of October). Donna Strickland, a Canadian, had just won a Nobel Prize for physics. She was the third woman to do so ever. She didn’t even get all of the credit. Half of her prize was given to Arthur Ashkin (a male) just because he invented a certain equipment that made the discovery possible. This was just like with Jocelyn since Donna wasn’t allowed the full spotlight; it had to be shared with a man. Both of these cases prove that women aren’t viewed as equals, hence both of them having positions as assistants. In general, even in literature, women are faced with discrimination and restrained. For example, in the short story “The Story of an Hour”, the main character gets very excited when she thinks that her husband died and is no longer there to tell her what to do. She would finally have freedom to act and think as she pleased. In all the situations, women are inhibited and can’t get nor do everything that they should be able to. These situations, though less common now than they were in the past, are still occurring and suppressing females, since they are seen as inferior. Even the world woman, and female have the opposite gender in them. To conclude, sexism is still an issue in this society and should be addressed in as many means possible.

Why are women content without being in the spotlight? Why is there still segregation in most fields of life? How can we cause more confidence and equality, hence ending such borders?