2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Glass: The Award for Change

World Economic Forum’s Gender Equality Index 2021 mentions MENA as the region with the biggest gender gap (60.9%), which at the current pace, would be closed in 142.4 years. UAE has managed to close 6% in just one year, becoming the most-improved country in the region. The nation has a vision to be among the world's top 25 countries for gender equality and Womanity is committed to its realization. Inspiring women to rise in academic pursuits, aiming to create awareness around the real gender gaps that need attention, this initiative also saved the equality conversation from getting stereotyped.

Background

Womanity’s mission is to accelerate gender equality through innovative investments, a promise to improve people’s lives through equal opportunity. With an action oriented approach, womanity champions equality and inclusion around the world, with initiatives that present measurable impact. The problem is gender equality has also become the go-to CSR initiative in every industry. Hence, Womanity has to make a significant effort, in order to keep the gender equality conversation focused on fundamentals, and save it from getting stereotyped. Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering. The objective here was to raise awareness on major gender gaps with a focus on scientific fields.

Describe the cultural / social / political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

Fighting for gender equality in the world’s most unequal region. According to World Economic Forum’s Gender Equality Index 2021, MENA remains the region with the biggest gender gap (60.9%), which at the current relative pace, can potentially be closed in 142.4 years. For decades, in the male-dominated field of science, many female scientists have had to witness their achievements being attributed to their male colleagues, leading to the women being omitted from Nobel Prizes. For instance, in the early 1950s, Dr. Esther Lederberg - for example - was part of a team of scientists who pioneered microbial genetics. Despite her substantial contributions to the field of microbiology, the subsequent 1958 Nobel Prize was only awarded to her male counterpart. This erasure of their legacy and place in history was a slight that was never corrected. We could continue to empower Arab women and inspire the next generation of female scientists.

Describe the creative idea

One of the key metrics for measuring gender gaps is education and how far are women acknowledged for their academic achievements. We decided to showcase the most recognizable gap of all. The highest recognition any academic could ever receive: the Nobel Prize. There are 6 female scientists who deserved to win a Nobel Prize for their significant work but were unjustly written out of history. Recognition withheld is recognition denied. Today, Womanity turns the dead into laureates by enabling them to finally give their acceptance speech. Highlighting this gender gap in a creative way, would make the case for closing the gap stronger, and encourage practices that are effective at making an impact. On the occasion of the United Nations’ International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Womanity used technology to bring these forgotten female scientists back to life and create their very ‘Noble’, not Nobel, speeches.

Describe the strategy

In the early 1950s, Dr. Esther Lederberg - for example - was part of a team of scientists who pioneered microbial genetics. Despite her substantial contributions to the field of microbiology, the subsequent 1958 Nobel Prize was only awarded to her male counterpart. She died in 2006. Furthermore, Austrian physicist Dr. Lise Meitner led the team that discovered nuclear fission. Heralded by Albert Einstein as the Marie Curie of the German-speaking world, Dr. Meitner was excluded from the Nobel Prize awarded in 1944 for the discovery; an omission she considered the most irredeemable sorrow of her life. She died in 1968. Besides Dr. Lederberg and Dr. Meitner, four more women - Frieda Robscheit-Robbins (pathologist); Marietta Blau (physicist); Chien-Shiung Wu (physicist) and Jocelyn Bell Burnell (astrophysicist) - were also denied the Nobel Prize due to their gender. They are featured in the 2017 book "The Matilda Effect" by Ellie Irving.

Describe the execution

Womanity decided to give these 6 female scientists their much deserved, yet long overdue opportunity to give their laureate speech, that was never written or delivered when it was due. Using real quotes collected from an extensive research of press articles and academic work; and analysis of previous Nobel Prize ceremonies, we created their “Nobel Speeches”. We analyzed dozens of previous Nobel Prize award ceremonies, to ensure that the created scenography looked as authentic as possible. Then, by using a Taylor-made algorithm for face replacement, we generated “Noble Speeches” content as they would have been delivered. Brought to life through a mix of owned and earned media, the content delivered a transformational experience to the viewers who engaged with it.

Describe the results / impact

2021 is a year when none of the Nobel Prizes in Science went to women - widening the gender gap. Fewer than three percent of Nobel science winners are women, and only one woman of color has ever received the award. Our campaign spread like wildfire. Many publications from the region as well as the global press covered this topic with over 1,600,000 $ of earned media coverage though the campaign has recently launched. For Womanity, the media coverage helps to put the public’s focus on this problem and to drive change. Even better, talking about historical women that were deserving of winning the Nobel inspired young girls to also make a difference by pursuing a scientific career. The comments from girls who had been exposed to the campaign on our social channels were overwhelmingly positive showing it can take little to inspire them to join the field of science.