Abstract
After describing some outlined historical backgrounds, the present circumstances of Japanese women scientists and engineers in the field of refractories technology were summarized, focusing on their actual achievements and experience-based opinions. Several distinguished women including overseas ones who greatly contributed to the technology were also introduced as some provably typical role models. Women so far working for refractories in this country, both in academia and industry, have been very few, but it does not necessarily mean that women are unsuitable for the field. Modern refractories technology covers diverse knowledge about materials, heat technologies, metallurgical and chemical processes, etc., which needs higher diversity-handling and integrating ability peculiar to women. More efforts to gain the publicity of this vital technology is necessary to increase incoming women scientists and engineers to this community.
