Author: Yuko Ikkatai – The University of Tokyo, Japan

Co-authors:

  • Atsushi Inoue – Nippon Institute for Research Advancement, Japan
  • Kei Kano – Shiga University, Japan
  • Euan McKay – The University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Azusa Minamizaki – Nagoya University, Japan
  • Hiromi Yokoyama – The University of Tokyo, Japan

Many studies have examined the public image of science. When asked to draw a picture of a scientist, many people depicted a male scientist in a lab coat. Although the numbers vary by field, in comparison to men, a substantially lower percentage of women study STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in Japan. At the undergraduate level, the percentage of female students is relatively high in biology at around 40%, but is lower than 20% in physics and mathematics and lower than 10% in mechanical engineering. Although science is perceived to be masculine, the attribution of varying levels of masculinity to science fields in Japan has not been examined. Additionally, Japan ranks low (at the 121st position among 153 countries) on the global gender equality index, as per the Global Gender Gap Index 2020. The authors of this paper hypothesize that Japanese people who have low level of gender equal attitudes are likely to have stronger masculine image for the science fields.

This study conducted an online survey to investigate the extent of masculinity accorded by the Japanese people to six science fields: mechanical engineering, physics, mathematics, information science, chemistry, and biology. The questionnaire items focused on individual gender equal attitude toward gender roles and the gender of the respondents. Additionally, public associations were investigated by asking participants to assign keywords for each of the six science fields. The analysis revealed that the Japanese perceived all six science fields as masculine. For example, the keywords “Galileo” and “Einstein” were linked to physics and “oily and greasy” and “welding” were correlated with mechanical engineering. The individual gender and/or gender-related attitudes of respondents also influenced the masculine image accorded to the fields of study.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Transformation

Author: Yuko Ikkatai – The University of Tokyo, Japan

Co-author: Hiromi Yokoyama – The University of Tokyo

‘Crowdfunding’ is a process of raising funds on the Internet. In academia, crowdfunding is developing as a way to obtain research funding. In 2012, a donation-based academic crowdfunding platform called Experiment.com was launched in the US. In Japan, the reward-based academic crowdfunding platform, academist, was launched in 2014. As of September 2017, Experiment.com had funded 730 projects, with a total funding of $7,508,114; academist funded 41 projects, providing a total funding of 57,713,294 yen. The sites that crowdfund research funds, where citizens directly support scientific projects, have processes that are quite different from traditional scientific processes, in that no form of expert peer-review is present. In place of this academic requirement, Experiment.com requires collegial endorsement at the time of application. In addition, both Experiment.com and academist are staffed by individuals with scientific backgrounds. In the natural sciences, it is desirable for the result of the funded research to be contributed to a peer-reviewed journal; however, the products of crowdfunding do not necessarily lend themselves to publication in a journal. Other forms of presentation of one’s achievements are available, such as outreach presentations. This paper focuses on the unique characteristics of science crowdfunding. We will discuss why Japanese scientists have challenged science crowdfunding, why those in Japan that support it do so, and what is the perception gap in science crowdfunding in Japan, between scientists and the public.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices