2021/3/24

Social context affects gendered views of STEM subjects in England and Japan -New model of why physics and mathematics are seen as…

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Social context affects gendered views of STEM subjects inEngland and Japan -New model of why physics andmathematics are seen as masculine subjectsMarch 24, 2021
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe

Concern over attractiveness to the opposite sex aﬀects the masculine image of physics and mathematics
only in England, while having a negative view of intellectual women is correlated with a masculine imageof mathematics as a ﬁeld only in Japan, according to a survey conducted in the two countries by aJapanese research group. This comparative study shows that programs to increase womenʼs
representation in these ﬁelds must take into account each countryʼs social context surrounding genderroles.
Why do so few women choose to study and work in STEM (science, technology, engineering andmathematics)? It is well known that a diverse environment, whether in education, business, orgovernment, can lead to more innovative and inclusive outcomes. However, women are globally
underrepresented in STEM at the university level, leading to fewer women going on to jobs in theseﬁelds, even in currently important areas such as artiﬁcial intelligence and quantum computing.
Prior research by a group led by Professor Hiromi M. Yokoyama at the University of Tokyo has shownthat the Japanese public regards STEM subjects as more suitable for men than women. Research in theU.K. has also shown that the public regards physics and mathematics as having a masculine image,which may discourage girls in both countries from choosing these ﬁelds. Yet, while women are
underrepresented in STEM in both the U.K. and Japan, gender equality is far higher in the U.K.
compared to Japan, suggesting that social diﬀerences may play a role in STEM participation.
As part of a three-year project looking at why so few women in Japan choose to study physics andmathematics, Yokoyamaʼs research group has proposed a new model to account for cultural factors andexplain the masculine image of these ﬁelds. The group tested their model with a cross-cultural survey inEngland and Japan (ﬁgure 1). This model builds on earlier research by a group at the University ofWashington in the U.S.

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Social context affects gendered views of STEM subjects in England and Japan -New model of why physics and mathematics are seen as…

Image 1 : Overview of the proposed model of factors aﬀecting STEM participation.
A previous U.S. study (Cheryan et al. 2017) summarized three factors behind the underrepresentation of
women in physics, engineering and computer science. The current study proposes and validates a newmodel with four factors for the masculine image of the ﬁelds. The survey was conducted on 1,177 adults(594 male and 583 female) aged 20-69 years living in Japan, and 1,082 adults (529 male and 553 female)aged 20-69 years living in England. Statistically signiﬁcant diﬀerences are marked with each countryʼs ﬂag.
Within social climate surrounding gender roles (Factor 4), “views regarding intellectual women” was asigniﬁcant factor in relation to mathematics in Japan, and in England, “perceived attractiveness to theopposite sex” was a signiﬁcant factor in relation to mathematics and physics.
(Image 1 credit: Kavli IPMU, The University of Tokyo. Design: Associate Professor Tomita Makoto, TokaiUniversity.)“The U.S. groupʼs model of underrepresentation suggests three factors that explain why women in theU.S. may avoid information science, engineering and physics at university: the masculine culture of theﬁeld, lack of early experience, and gender gaps in self-eﬃcacy (belief in oneʼs own ability to succeed),”said Yokoyama. “Our model explaining the masculine image of these ﬁelds builds on this to add an extra
dimension, the social climate surrounding gender roles. We carried out an online survey of the public inEngland and Japan to test our new model in relation to the masculine image of physics andmathematics.”
Yokoyamaʼs group found diﬀerences between English and Japanese respondents. In particular, Japanese
respondents with a negative view of intellectual women were more likely to regard mathematics as amasculine ﬁeld. In England, respondents were instead more likely to have heard that choosing aparticular faculty or department would make you less attractive to the opposite sex (due to survey
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Social context affects gendered views of STEM subjects in England and Japan -New model of why physics and mathematics are seen as…

constraints in Japan, attitudes towards same-sex partnerships could not be surveyed). Both of theseresults suggest that diﬀering attitudes surrounding gender roles contribute to the masculine image ofphysics and mathematics.
“We hope that achieving gender equality will reduce the masculine image of mathematics and physics.
However, while we have much to learn from each other in the international community when tackling
the gender gap, our study shows that we must also remain sensitive to what works in each socialcontext. There is no ʻone size ﬁts allʼ solution,” said Yokoyama.
The research was published online in the journal Public Understanding of Science, a peer-reviewed
international journal covering all aspects of the inter-relationships between science (including technologyand medicine) and the public.

Funding
This research was supported by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Strategic Basic Research
Program (Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society, RISTEX) Science of Science,Technology and Innovation Policy grant number JPMJRX17B3 for the project “Analysis of factors
inﬂuencing women and girls pursuit of physics and mathematics,” project leader Hiromi Yokoyama.

Paper details
Journal: Public Understanding of Science
Title: Masculinity in the public image of physics and mathematics: a new model comparing Japan andEngland
Authors:
Yuko Ikkatai (1), Atsushi Inoue (2), Azusa Minamizaki (3), Kei Kano (4), Euan McKay(5), Hiromi M
Yokoyama (1)Author aﬃliation:
1. Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo
Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583,
Japan
2. Nippon Institute for Research Advancement, Tokyo, Yebisu Garden Place Tower, 34th Floor 4-20-3
Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013, Japan
3. Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya University, Furo-cho,
Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
4. Graduate School of Education, Shiga University, 2-5-1, Hiratsu, Otsu, Shiga, 520-0862, Japan
5. Division for Strategic Public Relations, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 1130033, Japan
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625211002375 (Posted on March 24, 2021)
Abstract of the paper (Public Understanding of Science page)https://www.ipmu.jp/en/20210324-STEM-participation

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Social context affects gendered views of STEM subjects in England and Japan -New model of why physics and mathematics are seen as…

Research contact
Hiromi M. Yokoyama
Professor
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU),The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo
Tel: +81(0)471-36-6509
Email: hiromi.yokoyama_at_ipmu.jp
Please change * _at_ to @Media Contact
Euan McKay
Division for Strategic Public Relations, The University of Tokyo
Email: euan.mckay_at_mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Please change * _at_ to @Related links
Project website (Japanese): http://member.ipmu.jp/hiromi.yokoyama/ristex2017.html
Nippon Institute for Research Advancement
Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya University
Graduate School of Education, Shiga University
JST-RISTEX Science of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy© KAVLI INSTITUTE FOR THE PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS OF THE UNIVERSE

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