Second year of no women Nobel winners

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences says it will meet to discuss gender and ethnic diversity after no women were awarded Nobel prizes for the second year.

For the second consecutive year, there are no women among the 2017 Nobel prize laureates.

The head of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the committees that choose Nobel Prize winners will meet this winter to discuss gender and ethnic diversity issues in the prestigious awards.

Goran Hannsson said after the announcement of the economics prize on Monday that "I hope in five years, 10 years, we'll see a very different distribution".

Each of the six prizes is chosen by a different committee, three of which are currently headed by women.

Three of the prize committees are within the sciences academy.

Hansson said he did not believe there was systemic gender discrimination, but "we are concerned; we are taking measures".