Abstract
Introduction： This study focuses on the reasons for establishing women's pharmacy schools during the preWWII era in Tokyo. Considering that these schools were some of the few science-based educational institutions for women, in this paper, a comparison is made based on the rules of the women’s pharmacy schools in Tokyo and those of private men’s pharmacy schools in Tokyo.
Method： The materials compared in the study were application documents for establishing the women's pharmacy schools in Tokyo, authorization documents for establishing private men's pharmacy schools, and application documents for changing the school rules in the men's pharmacy schools, which were gathered from the Tokyo Metropolitan Archives.
Result： As a result, it was confirmed that the acquisition of pharmacist qualifications and the role of a housewife were organized consistently in the education policy and curriculum of the women's pharmacy schools.
Conclusion： In the prewar society, gender roles were predominantly divided and very few women entered higher education. Hence, there were only a limited number of science-based educational institutions where women could study. The aim of establishing institutes to train women to become professional pharmacists was also considered compatible with Ryosaikenbo, which in Japanese means that the woman can also become a good wife and good mother.
