Japan has the lowest number of women in science among OECD countries

Japan has always fallen behind when it comes to equality when compared internationally. A new study shows that women, too, are rare in the Japanese science world.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recently held its annual meeting Message Published under the title “A Glimpse of Education”. Among other things, member states examined the size of the proportion of women in research.

Japan is well below average

Japan has done nothing but good. In 2019, they had the lowest percentages of female first-year STEM female students of all countries.

Overall, there were only 27 percent of women in the natural sciences, mathematics, and statistics, the lowest percentage ever. On average, the share of members of other countries was 52 percent, and Slovakia was 65 percent.

In engineering, manufacturing and construction, Japan had a score of 16 percent. By comparison, Iceland came first with 39 percent. The average for countries was 26 percent. So Japan was really bad in that area as well.

The world of work in Japan depends on women

The OECD was very concerned about Japan’s results. Japanese women have a high level of skills and knowledge. However, the strong impact of stereotypes on job opportunities and the lack of role models means talent is lost.

For Japan, this has an impact not only on its international reputation, but also on its business environment. The population is shrinking and aging rapidly. Therefore, the state relies on the use of women as workers on a large scale, including in areas that will be withheld from them.

This does not only mean that they should find a place in sciences such as robot technology. For a society with equal rights, women must also play an increasingly important role in managerial and political positions. The Japanese government is already trying to improve the situation, but it has not been able to achieve its previous goals.