Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Three Women: Moving Democracy and
Gender Equity Forward Last Friday, October 7, marked a
significant advance in women’s rights with the announcement of
the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners—all three of whom are women.
The laureates are Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf;
Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee; and Tawakkol Karman, a
catalyzing figure in the ongoing revolt in Yemen. These three
inspiring women are all leaders in the fight against oppression,
and for democracy, women’s rights, and basic human rights.
Historically, Nobel Peace Prize winners have been overwhelmingly
male and Western. The Prize was first awarded in 1901. Before
last week’s awards, only 12 of 96 individual laureates had been
women, and only 13 had been from countries in Africa or the
Middle East. The Nobel Committee’s decision to acknowledge the
social and political activism of three women from Africa and the
Middle East is truly groundbreaking. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is
Liberia’s first democratically