2024 Volume 24 Pages 38-49
In September 2021, the Society of Japanese Women Scientists (SJWS) compiled the draft proposal, "To Advance a Research Environment Where Both Women and Men Can Fully Demonstrate Their Abilities in the Era of 100-Years Life ~Free from Barriers of Unconscious Bias~". On the 26th of the same month, the SJWS held a symposium on "Expectations for Female Scientists: Why the Number of Female Scientists is Not Increasing," and finalized the proposal, which was open to the public. This report is a summary by the members who worked on the proposal, including a review of their activities since then, with the aim of disseminating the contents of the proposal to the rest of the world. Since 2005, policies on gender equality have been concrete and steadily promoted, with numerical targets set, but the ratio of female researchers in Japan remains at the lowest level compared to other countries, and ratio of those in higher positions is decreasing further. To solve these issues, it is important to collaborate with foreign countries, as well as to consolidate diverse knowledge and experience, and lead to effective reforms through "convergence of knowledge" and "gendered innovation”. We hope that this report will provide an opportunity to discuss these important issues.
