Present Conditions and Problems in Employment and Promotion of Female Researchers in Japan

Abstract

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has promoted several projects supporting female researchers at Japanese universities. However, there is a large imbalance in the ratio of female to male students, especially in engineering and science departments. In addition, fewer women are entering graduate schools, of which only a small number want to be professors. This study describes the conditions of, and problems with, female researchers' support system at national universities in Japan. Based on a statistical analysis, the ratio of female to male students has hardly changed in the past 10 years, at either the departmental or overall graduate school levels in Japan; however, the ratio of female to male researchers at these universities increased during the same period. These results demonstrate that the next generation's upbringing is of key importance, as is enhancing the work-life balance of female researchers, in order to increase the number of high-quality female researchers at Japanese universities.