On November 28, 1967, in Cambridge Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (UK) PhD student Jocelyn BellDiscover the first radio signal from a pulsarany neutron star that emits periodic radiation in space.
The regular pulse discovered by Bell, which is about a second long, was subsequently named LGM1 Little Green Man 1 (Little Green Man 1), which he later identified as a fast-spinning neutron star, and its importance in the world of astronomy is indisputable. In fact, in 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics The score was published as a protagonist. But it was not Bell who received the award, but the radio astronomer Anthony Howishwho led the group of researchers who made the discovery years ago.
Bell’s case is a case of extreme exclusion of women in science, and it hasn’t happened for two centuries, it’s modern and shows how the road to the Nobel Prizes for scientists is not an easy one. For more than a century, the award, which bestows the world’s highest honor on intellectual or humanitarian achievement, has been presented To only 22 women in sciences (physics, chemistry and medicine). Among them, Marie Curie, a unique scientist who was twice awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.
This year , Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology It was jointly awarded to researchers William Kaelin, Greg Semenza and Peter Ratcliffe, for their discoveries about how cells sense and adapt to the availability of oxygen. UN Women asserts that the underrepresentation of Nobel Prize winners over the years “is yet another indication of the slow progress on gender equality and why we need to build equality”.
More and more women are starting a scientific career, but gender imbalances still exist, especially in the more advanced stages of the scientific career, which is demonstrated by the Nobel Prizes. Difficulty penetrating your career or “glass roof”is still a reality.
Change that scenario, says Adriana Bastias, Academician at the Autonomous University and president of Researchers NetworkAnd the You should start by nominating women. “The same is happening with the national awards in Chile, and he must do Highlighting what women doexplained that there are women who contribute to most research groups, but they hide themselves,” she points out.
Bastias points out that when it comes to science awards, they should reflect what is happening in the world of science with regard to the participation of men and women. “If the woman They share that they are between 30% and 40%.one hopes that this percentage will also be represented in these awards, there are also wonderful women who will be awarded”, he confirms.
How do you break that glass ceiling? Essentially, says Bastias, it is necessary to highlight the researchers who have contributed to and are part of these important scientific developments. She adds that it’s not just about giving them the privilege because they are women, but that they should be highlighted because they do a good job of research. “Many colleagues believe that women benefit, and no, this is a matter of making the field more balanced, and it has nothing to do with benefiting women,” he highlights.
The Common opinion about races They are the ones who largely end up influencing results like this, Bastias says. “Science is always said to be the very principle of merit, but the truth is that science is part of society, it is part of macho society, and therefore behaviors and stereotypes are reproduced as in any other activity.”
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