The 103rd Annual Meeting of The Physiological Society of Japan

Organizer/Chair: Ryoko Maruyama (Tohoku University)

Japan ranks last among OECD member countries in the proportion of female researchers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). While gender disparities in higher education have narrowed, the ratio of female students studying science-related fields at universities remains lower than that of male students, and the number of women who complete graduate school and pursue careers as researchers is stagnating. This symposium aims to examine the current state of female researchers in Japan from an educational and labor economic perspective, spanning from the past to the present. At what stage of education do women begin to leave STEM fields? This symposium will deepen our understanding of what our predecessors sought in science education for women in higher education during the Meiji era, which was the dawn of women's education in Japan. We will then discuss the wage gap between male and female researchers in current labor economics, social disparities in terms of employment, and the actual research conditions of young female researchers.We aim to contribute to the realization of a society where the term “female researchers" is no longer necessary, as we envision a future where STEM fields thrive.