Tom Tenenbaum
High School Writing
February 5th, 2025
Japan’s education system is regarded as one of the most gender-equal aspects of life in the country. According to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report, Japan ranks 121st among 153 countries overall, but its education system is significantly higher at 91st place (Zahidi & Eda, 2020). This difference between the two rankings suggests that from a global perspective, Japan’s education system is relatively free from discrimination. However, these global benchmarks fail to consider Japan’s traditional mindset, which continues to favor male students, particularly in the STEM fields.
The gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), generally considered as “the underrepresentation of women in the … [STEM] fields” (Piloto, 2023), remains a pressing issue globally, particularly in Japan. In Japan, women make up only 16% of the STEM workforce (Zahidi & Eda, 2020) and students (Katsumura, 2023). This is particularly striking, in consideration of the fact that female Japanese high school students rank second in the world in mathematics and third in science (Katsumura, 2023). Given the aforementioned problems, the necessity to create an environment where both genders can thrive in STEM fields is clear.
Problem
To address the gender gap in STEM, it is essential to understand its root cause. An article in the Asia Pacific Business Review suggests three types of prejudice—family, school, and overall society—that significantly influence the gender gap in STEM in Japan (Yokoyama et al., 2024). After examining high school students and their mothers, researchers discovered that factors such as parental educational backgrounds and household income had a statistically meaningful impact on students’ interest in pursuing careers in STEM (Yokoyama et al., 2024). Furthermore, the study found that teachers were more likely to recommend physics over biology when students had male names (Yokoyama et al., 2024). Additionally, the study highlighted a strong cultural attitude in Japan that undervalued intelligent women and foundational beliefs that “women had less mathematical ability than men” (Yokoyama et al., 2024). This evidence suggests that to close the gender gap in STEM, it is essential to resolve these stereotypes.
Solution
To overhaul the traditional mindset, the underlying cause of the gender gap in STEM, some form of change is necessary. However, this is extremely difficult as our beliefs come from a “cumulative product of millennia of human culture” (Lewis, 2018). As a result, it is nearly impossible to change these preconceptions simply by telling everyone to do so. According to Dibdin & Wade (2022), to change someone’s core beliefs, one must first acknowledge that they exist and then accept that life would be different without that core belief. Therefore, this paper will also follow a similar approach.
In order to change the general public’s biases, it is essential to first recognize the underlying core beliefs that contribute to prejudice against women in STEM and other fields. A straightforward approach to achieving this is by highlighting the gender inequality that, although prevalent, often remains concealed in various aspects of life. This can be accomplished by creating a platform using data to uncover the hidden gender inequality in Japan.
In the last few decades, data has become widely accessible to the general public, empowering individuals to have all the information they require to confront their preconceptions. Many people unconsciously hold beliefs about gender, but data makes that bias visible, making it more difficult to ignore. By utilizing existing data and conducting more surveys across schools, companies, and other institutions, the platform can provide the general public insights into the extent of gender inequality in everyday life. This increased awareness can lead more people to recognize and understand their biases against women more clearly.
From this understanding of the prevalence of gender inequality, the next step is to show how much these beliefs restrict people’s lives and encourage people to accept them. One method to accomplish this is by demonstrating how countries that achieve gender equality in STEM tend to be more affluent. For example, statistics from the International Monetary Fund indicate that reducing the gender gap in countries can boost the gross domestic product (GDP) by 23% (Calviño, 2024). Presenting this kind of data can motivate society to accept that gender equality benefits not only women but everyone.
By following this data-driven approach, people can learn to understand that achieving gender equality will lead to a better future for everyone. Although gender equality in general may seem different from gender equality in STEM, both issues share the same root cause. Therefore, the solutions for one issue can effectively address the other as well.
Conclusion
Gender inequality in STEM and other aspects of life is not only ethically wrong but also significantly impacts our quality of life. While Japan has made progress toward gender equality compared to other countries, students, parents, educators, and the general public need to recognize the current situation and work together to improve it for future generations.
Word count: 822
References
Calviño, N. (2024, March 8). The Economic Power of Gender Equality. European Investment Bank. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
Dibdin, E., & Wade, D. (2022, January 26). What Are Core Beliefs and How Do They Affect Your Health? PsychCentral. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
Katsumura, M. (2023, July 17). How Japan is encouraging more women into STEM. World Economic Forum. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
Lewis, R. (2018, October 7). What Actually Is a Belief? And Why Is It So Hard to Change? Psychology Today. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
Piloto, C. (2023). The Gender Gap in STEM. MIT Professional Education. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
Yokoyama, H. M., Ikkatai, Y., McKay, E., Inoue, A., & Kano, K. (2024, March 4). Can affirmative action overcome STEM gender inequality in Japan? Expectations and concerns. Asia Pacific Business Review, 543-559.
Zahidi, S., & Eda, M. (2020, March 8). How to narrow Japan's widening gender gap. The World Economic Forum. Retrieved January 21, 2025.