Yokoyama H – PCST Network

Author: Hiromi Yokoyama – The University of Tokyo, Kavli IPMU, Japan

Co-authors:

Yuko Ikkatai – Kavli IPMU, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Atsushi Inoue – Nippon Institute for Research Advancement, Japan
Kei Kano – Shiga University, Japan
Euan Mckay – The University of Tokyo, United Kingdom
Azusa Minamizaki – Nagoya University, Japan

It is known worldwide that there are fewer women working in and studying physics and engineering than in biology and chemistry. A previous study (Cheryan et al. 2017) conducted in the US devised a model to explain the strong masculine-based image of physics and engineering compared with biology, chemistry, and mathematics using three assemblages: (1) the masculine culture of the fields of study, (2) insufficient early experience, and (3) gender gaps in self-efficacy. Each assemblage consists of several items to explain the gender discrepancy. Considering that Japan is a lower gender-equal country (114th on the Global Gender Gap index), we improved the model by adding one assemblage, (4) gender equality/attractive culture, to explain the masculine-based image of physics and mathematics in Japan.

In this study, we turned our attention to physics and mathematics. We conducted online questionnaires in Japan and in the UK to investigate several factors, including (1) to (4) related to the masculine-based image of physics and mathematics, and to identify any unique factors in Japan and the UK. The online questionnaires were designed based on this model.

We found that some items in the additional assemblage, (4) gender equality/attractive culture of physics or mathematics, were significantly related to the masculine-based image of physics or mathematics in each country: The first item was “attraction to the opposite sex,” which was significant both for physics and mathematics in the UK. In Japan, the item of “intellectual women” was significant only in mathematics. These results suggest that the added assemblage, (4) gender equality/attractive culture of physics or mathematics, partially contributed to the masculine image of physics and mathematics, both in the UK and in Japan.

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

Presentation type: Insight talk
Theme: Transformation

Author: Hiromi Yokoyama – The University of Tokyo, Kavli IPMU, Japan

Co-author:
Yuko Ikkatai – The University of Tokyo, Kavli IPMU

In Japan, the percentage of female scientific researchers is extremely low, at 15.3% (for comparison, in Russia it is 40.3%; in the UK, 27.4%, in Italy, 36.0% and in the US, 34.3%). Within the natural sciences, there are a relatively large number of female students, 40% in the biology department, but women comprise less than 10% of the total number of students in the physics, mathematics and information technology departments. Over the past 10 years, the Japanese government has undertaken many projects to encourage women to study in the science and technology departments. Regardless of these efforts, the percentage of female students who enter the fields of physics, mathematics and information technology has not increased. The percentage of women in physics departments is over 50% in Italy, which leads to the conclusion that there are cultural differences between Japan and the rest of the world. We investigated whether social factors unique to Japan inhibit Japanese female students from studying sciences. We held a workshop with women researchers in the fields of physics, mathematics and information technology, discussing the factors that may inhibit women, and provide the results in this paper.

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

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Building a theoretical basis for science communication

The effect of gender equality on the masculine image of physics and math in Japan and in the UK

Why do female Japanese students not study mathematical and physical sciences?

Contact

Connect

Join

Discuss

Partners