Women criticise Swedish for handing out ‘sexist’ awards

NINE prominent Swedish female writers, journalists and academics on yesterday criticised the Nobel Prizes as “sexist” because there are no women among this year’s winners.

The criticism came in an article in the tabloid Aftonbladet the same day the Nobel prizes were handed out in Sweden and Norway.

One of the nine women who wrote the article was Ebba Britt Brattstroem, a professor in literary history and wife of Horace Engdahl, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which picks the Nobel Literature Prize winners.

“Today it’s time again for Sweden to make a fool of itself in front of the whole world. Today the Nobel prizes are handed out to a row of men. Nothing new from the flock of penguins, one could say. How is this possible, in 2002?” the women wrote, noting that just 3% of all the Nobel winners have been women.

The nine women said they were “ashamed” that Sweden, known for equality between sexes, is “hosting the sexist manifestation” which the Nobel Prizes has developed into.

“But next year we will rejoice...If all Nobel Prize winners this year are men ‘by chance’, next year we may have only female prize winners, also ‘just by chance’,” the women said.