Participation of Women Scientists and Engineers in Japan - American

Chapter 32

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Participation of Women Scientists and Engineers in Japan Kazue Kurihara* Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture 980-8577, Japan *E-mail: [email protected].

Japan is making efforts to promote more women scientists and engineers because the Japanese society needs to utilize all available resources and possibilities for its vital growth when it faces the so-called “Shoshi-ka” (low birth-rate). Another reason for the promotion is that as more women study science and engineering now, hopefully they will work throughout their entire careers, unlike the previous generations. Therefore, it is important that the political, societal and academic systems support them. This change is not so easy because the Japanese society has had a long tradition that men and women serve different roles in the society. In this article, I will describe our efforts, and how I myself have worked through the systems.

Introduction Japan is currently making serious efforts to increase the number of female scientists, engineers and professionals in its workforce. However, despite its efforts, Japan still falls behind in promoting women to research positions (Figure 1). This is largely because the Japanese traditionally expect men and women to play different roles in the society and the family; women attending to family matters at home, while men work outside the home. Changing this belief is not an easy task. Although the change is slow, Japan is making progress.

© 2015 American Chemical Society Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Figure 1. The percentage of female researchers in OECD countries. Japan and Korea, which share similar cultures, are at the bottom. (2013 White Paper from Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, Japan; used with permission) (1). A number of circumstances are leading to the promotion of women. Now, more than ever before, women are pursuing science and engineering at universities and choosing to work throughout their careers, unlike previous generations, who usually ended their careers upon marriage. There is also a growing acceptance that Japanese society needs a wider variety of talent for flexible and sustainable development. Perhaps the most practical circumstance is the declining birth-rate in Japan. In 2014, the Japanese birthrate was 1.43. As a result, Japan needs everyone, regardless of gender, to work together for the future. Because of these circumstances, a general consensus has emerged that Japanese women need to be encouraged to work.

National Survey of Women’s Status Conducted by EPMEWSE The promotion of women is not a new challenge for Japan. Academic associations, such as the Japan Association of National Universities, have been leading the effort to promote women scientists in the workforce for quite some 386 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


time. They have tried using top-down promotion and setting female enrollment targets at universities. But this approach was not very successful, and it took some time before real promotion, starting at the bottom level, began to occur. The turning point for promotion came when a liaison of academic societies, known as the Japan Inter-Society Liaison Association Committee for Promoting Equal Participation of Men and Women in Science and Engineering (EPMEWSE) – which included the Chemical Society of Japan -- conducted a large national survey on the status of women scientists (2). The survey received more 20,000 responses, and revealed a number of problems:

(1) Three quarters of the women and half of the men surveyed thought there was unequal treatment in the workplace in science and engineering fields. (2) Among scientists above the age of 40, only 60-70% of women are married while more than 90% of men are married. On the average, these women have one child, while the men have two. About 40% of women in their 30’s in academia have taken child-care leave, while ca. 80% of women in their 30’s in industry professions have taken child-care leave.

This survey transformed the problems which were considered “personal (individual)” to “social” problems. This survey report motivated many groups and associations to make promotional proposals to the government. These efforts resulted in somewhat increased social promotion. The Third Science and Technology Basic Plan (FY2006-FY2010) created the goal of increasing female scientists by 25% (Science 20 %, Engineering 15 %, Agriculture 30 %, Health Science 30 %) among new appointments. This goal was raised in the fourth plan (FY2011- 2015) to 30%. Affirmative actions were taken to meet these goals.

Recent Affirmative Actions at Universities in Japan In 2006, MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) launched two major programs to support women scientists and engineers. The first was the Restart Post-doctoral (RPD) Fellowships for Ph.D.s who have stopped working for child-care in the last five years. Fifty fellowships are granted each year, which provide a 362,000 yen monthly allowance for three years, as well as a 1.5 million yen yearly research grant. Researchers of all fields of science including humanities can apply for this fellowship. The second program was the “Model Project for Promotion of Women Scientists,” where universities propose a unique model plan for increasing the employment of women faculty members in science and engineering, and receive a yearly 30 million yen grant to carry out their plan for three years. As of 2014, 76 universities have been accepted in this program. Tohoku University, to which I belong, was one of the ten universities selected in 2006 to conduct this project. 387 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Tohoku University’s model plan aimed to help scientists with small children by checking work regulations, introducing a shorter working hour system, employing post-docs and providing financial support to baby sitters. The program also supported an “on campus day care center for recovering children,” initially to support university hospital staff, but later, with the program’s support, it expanded to include faculty and students as well. Female graduate students also worked to promote science to high school girls as part of the program. The model plan has led to successive programs, which have more effect on the acceleration of the female faculty employment. How have we progressed? From 2004 to 2012, there has been a significant increase in female faculty at Japanese universities across all levels of disciplines (Figure 2). In addition, the number of women who choose to end their careers in their 30’s and 40’s has decreased substantially over a similar timeframe (Figure 3). For the fiscal year 2015, MEXT will enhance the promotion based on the current government policy to achieve ‘A Society where Women Shine’. It will increase the number of RPD fellowships to 75 and the support to universities for improving the working conditions of women from 984 million yen in 2014 to 1088 million yen in 2015.

Figure 2. The percentage of women employed in various faculty positions at Japanese universities from 2004 to 2012. The research associate position was recently introduced and did not exist in 2004. (2005 & 2013 White Paper from Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, Japan; used with permission) (3, 4) 388 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Figure 3. The average number of female researchers quitting their jobs at institutions supported by the model plan from 2005 to 2011. (Report from MEXT, 2012; used with permission) (5)

My Professional Journey as Scientist For the last section of this chapter, I will tell a little bit about myself. I did my undergraduate education at Ochanomizu University and did my Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo. I appreciated the education I received in these very different environments. Ochanomizu University was the first women’s college in Japan, so its alumnae include the first female imperial university students at Tohoku University in 1913 and the first female graduate student at the University of Tokyo. I found many role models there. At the University of Tokyo, I met many colleagues, whom I still work with in academia. After receiving my Ph.D., I worked for a while at the group where I did my Ph.D. and then moved around the world as a post-doc, a research associate and a visiting scientist, before being offered a group leadership position in a large, five-year project in 1987. When the project ended, I was promoted to associate professor at Nagoya University in 1992, and then to professor at Tohoku University in 1997. These promotions marked the first time a female had ever filled those roles. I was the first female group leader of ERATO, the first female faculty member above the lecturer level at the engineering school of Nagoya University, and the first female professor at the school of natural sciences at Tohoku University. One may notice that these promotions coincided with the establishment of the essential laws for affirmative action in Japan: The Equal Employment Opportunity Law (1986) and The Basic 389 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Law for a Gender-equal Society (1999). I am part of the first generation of female scientists researching at the top universities in Japan. In order to achieve this, I had to work hard, but the changes in the Japanese society were also critical. Because of this, I try to volunteer for professional societies when possible. I am currently a member of the Science Council of Japan and the president of the International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists (IACIS). What is the key element in promoting women in science? I think the bottom line is the contributions to science. In my field of research, which is colloid and interface science, there were two famous, pioneering women: Agnes Pockels, who studied surface monolayers in her kitchen and published an article in Nature, which contributed to the establishment of surface science; and Katherine Burr Blodgett, who developed the method for transferring monolayers at the air-water interface on solid substrates. The Langmuir-Blodgett films, which are named after Katherine and her mentor and colleague, Irving Langmuir, provide a glimpse into her life. This history is perhaps why we have such active participation of women at IACIS, which elected its first female president in 1994. I became the second female president in 2012, and 16% of the current Council members of IACIS are women. This indicates that scientific achievements can overcome gender bias and encourage more women in science. Thus, as women scientists, we should work together and encourage one another to be successful.

References 1.

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White Paper from Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, Japan, 2013. http://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/h25/zentai/html/zuhyo/ zuhyo01-07-08.html National survey on the status of women scientists done by EPMEWSE. http:/ /www.djrenrakukai.org/english.html White Paper from Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, Japan, 2013. http://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/h25/zentai/html/zuhyo/ zuhyo01-07-06.html White Paper from Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, Japan, 2005. http://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/h17/danjyo_hp/html/ zuhyo/fig01_00_21.html Report from MEXT, 2012. http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/jinzai/hyouka/ __icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/01/25/1329874_03_1.pdf

390 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.

Participation of Women Scientists and Engineers in Japan - American

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