Japanese Women Researchers: Are They Active?
– Trends in Numbers of Members in JSAP

1,2
1,31,411
Nahoko Kasai , Nobuyuki Matsuki , Atsushi Masuda , Yoko Shiraishi , Tomoko Shiojiri ,1 The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP), 2 NTT Basic Research Laboratories,

3 Kanagawa University, 4 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

SummaryJapan has had a difficulty in increasing women ratio in STEM, especially in physics.
Member records in JSAP, the Japan Society of Applied Physics, both men and women in academia and industries, were analyzed.
Clear indication of severe situation for women in applied physics field especially in early career stage both in academia and industry.
It is important to support their career during their life-events, and once built-up the career, they will continue their activities after 40s.

• Women did not increase as many as than men in late 20s ~ mid 30s YO (red and bluelines); More women left in their late 20s ~ mid 30s than men.
-> Difficulties in achieving both building up their career and their private life in Japan.
** Once women establish the career after 40s -> small number of leaving (Fig. 1, 3).

Number of members
Ratio of members (%)

Leaving fromJSAP

20 26 32 38 44 50 56 62 68
Age(D) Leaving

12Men members all

108

Women members all

6420

28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
Age

28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
AgeFig. 1 Numbers of (A) men and (B) women members entering andleaving from JSAP at each age in 1980-2016. Data is rearranged tocompare men and women researchers in (C) entering and (D) leavingfrom JSAP.
45%

Women (Industry)
Women (Academia)
Women (National Lab)
Women (Total)Men (Industry)Men (Academia)
Men (National Lab)Men (Total)

40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%

30%
25%
20%
15%
10%

10%
5%

5%

40

3836343230

282624220%～200%

Age at Entering JSAPAge at Entering JSAP

Fig. 2 Histograms of members entering JSAP who belongs to different
affiliations at each age in 1980-2016. Right figure is magnified fromthe left figure. Numbers are standardized using entering numbers ofmen and women in each affiliation.
30%

45%

Women (Industry)
Women (Academia) 25%
Women (National Lab)
Women (Total)20%
Men (Industry)Men (Academia)
15%
Men (National Lab)Men (Total)
10%

40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%

5%

4038

36

3432302826242268

640%
～20

Age at Leaving from JSAP

60

5652

48

440%

Age at Leaving from JSAP

Fig. 3 Histograms of members leaving from JSAP who belongs todifferent affiliations at each age in 1980-2016. Right figure ismagnified from the left figure. Numbers are standardized usingleaving numbers of men and women in each affiliation.
10.0%

5.0%

Women (Industry)
Women (Academia)
Men (Industry)Men (Academia)
Women (Total)Men (Total)

0.0%
Severe research
environment for women
28303234363840
researchers both in-5.0%
academia and industries
Agein Japan.
Fig. 4 Ratio of "Entering - Leaving" members in different affiliation

Late 20s ~ mid 30s YO: Important to construct theirresearch career. -> Large effects on academic output
Important to support women researchers of the[1] Elsevier
B. V., Gender in the Global Research Landscape, 2017. https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/265661/ElsevierGenderReport_final_for-web.pdf
age.
[2] A. Fujiwara, A consideration on the series of university reforms and expansion of professor's diversity ~ Event history analysis on characteristics of researchers andpromotion ~, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11035/3163

2Entering JSAP

More leaving

Women who stayed in the society increased thescholarly output. -> Active women tend to survive.

4(B) Women

More entering(4) Analysis of entering and leaving members (Figure 4)

6

Ratio of “Entering-Leaving” members

In academia,• both men and women left from JSAP after they started working.
• women leave more than men in age of 30s (thin arrows)
In industries and public research institutes,• both men and women stayed after they started to work.
• men tend to leave in 30-40s YO (gradual peak at black arrow)• women tend to leave early 30s YO (steep peak at white arrow)
In industries, men stop to research by transferred to different work fields and/or bypromoted into the management.
Women stop to research for their life events both in academia and industries.

Women members all～20(3) Leaving member in each affiliation (Figure 3)

Men members all

80(2) Entering member in each affiliation (Figure 2)• In academia, both men and women entered when they were students, and not many
after that.
• In industries and public research institutes, both men and women entered also after
they started working.
Women change their field into applied physics when they start working at industries.

(C) Entering

40• Both men and women entered when they started research in graduate schools at~24 years old (YO), and left after they started working at ~26YO. (A) (B)• For men, the both numbers of entering and leaving decreased by the age. (Solidlines in (C)(D): approximate curves).
• Women entered more than men until 32YO (solid arrow in (C)).
• Less women entered than the approximate curves at 34-40YO (dotted arrow in (C)).
There are periods of time for women to start new research fields (~32YO) and toretain the research fields (34~40s YO).
• Women left more than men until 34YO (arrow in (D)) .
• Less women left after 40s YO (D).
Women leave the society in early 30s YO: due to their life events (childbirth orchildcare), however they stay after 40s compared with men**.

20 26 32 38 44 50 56 62 68
Age36(1) Entering and leaving JSAP in each age (Figure 1)

Leaving fromJSAP

32This study

10Entering JSAP

28JapanUnderstand situations and long-term
research activities of women researchers inapplied physics using member records inJSAP, both of academia and industries.

24US

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 Gender in Global Research Landscape, Elsevier [1]- Women researchers superior to men researchers in Japan?
- Only active women researchers can survive in Japan?
 Japanese women researchers have 50% more difficult inpromoted to professors than men researchers in STEM [2]

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Number of members

Elsevier, 2017

Background and Purpose

Ratio of members (%)

Gender in Global ResearchLandscapeat each age in 1980-2016. Numbers are standardized using
entering numbers of men and women in each affiliation.