Japanese Sexism

Renowned University of Tokyo Professor Warns of Sexism

What

Chizuko Ueno, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo (Todai) gave a foreboding speech at the university entrance ceremony, warning the women in the audience (567 out of 3125, 18%) that they will encounter sexual discrimination both in Todai, as well as after they leave the institution. She also touched on the "20% wall," noting the difficulty in breaking the admission gender gap. Other notable facts she mentioned were that only 7.8% of professors were female, 1/15 academic deans are female, and no university president has ever been female. Ultimately however, her speech touched on the fact that she was the first woman to ever give an entrance speech at Todai, suggesting that Todai may be making change, and that those given opportunities should use them to help others without such advantageous situations (such as using her speech to advise female Todai students).

Background

Todai has been involved in many recent notable sexism scandals: in 2018 the medical school had been rigging test scores to exclude women, student groups often expect female members to provide lunch for the male members, and Todai female students were involved in a sexist "fly with girls of Todai" marketing campaign. Unsurprisingly, however, this problem extends beyond Todai. Many more universities had in fact been rigging test scores to exclude women, and as you can imagine there have been many more scandals in Todai, other universities, and throughout the Japanese working world.

Significance

As Professor Ueno stated, university and working women face discrimination throughout their lives. But why? One Time Magazine writer suggests that it comes from the societal expectations of women, which is that they are first and foremost mothers. Her heartfelt report gives emotional and compelling evidence, which I will quote instead of paraphrasing below.

In 2007, the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, Hakuo Yanagisawa, said publicly that “women are child-bearing machines.”

When I was job-hunting with Japanese corporations during university, the recruiters often asked: “Do you have a boyfriend?” and “Will you give up your job when you get married or get pregnant?”Rather than recognizing these questions as a clear example of gender-based discrimination, I took them as a routine set of questions all female students are asked by recruiters. 

When I sought career advice from alumnae at my university, the women told me that they had little option but to stop working after giving birth.

The accounts above only touch the surface, yet elucidate on the tangible symptoms currently felt by working women in Japan. Similar stories have been expressed across the internet, and one can only imagine the implications on social standards. In 2017, a female journalist spoke out against prosecutors for dropping her rape case against a prominent newscaster. As a result, she incurred death threats and suggestions that she was sleeping her way towards promotions. Altogether, this sexist social and working culture has made employment and existence difficult for Japanese women. Additionally, this has only furthered the population crisis due to the implications that pregnancy puts strain on others in the workplace.