The percentage of female members of academic societies in the aerospace field is low at 27% for the Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space, 26% for the Japan Geoscience Union, 12% for the Astronomical Society of Japan, and 11% for the Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences*.
We, at JAXA’s Work-Life Support and Diversity Office, are working to support women of the next-generation in their career formation in the aerospace field through providing more opportunities where female students in high schools, universities and graduate schools can interact each other to visualize their own role models.
*These percentages are taken from "Survey on the Ratio of Women in the Inter-society Liaison Association Committee" (Japan Inter-society Liaison Association Committee for Promoting Equal Participation of Men and Women in Science and Engineering, 2021)
According to the Basic Research on Schools in FY 2023 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the percentage of female university students hit a record high of 45.7% (0.1 point increase from the previous year). However, the number of them in majors is quite uneven, with much fewer female students going into science and engineering departments than their male counterparts (Female students account for 28% in science departments and 17% in engineering departments).
The White Paper on Gender Equality by the Cabinet Office (2019 edition) says that the reason why female students do not choose science and engineering departments is "not that they lack the academic abilities in science and mathematics but that they may be influenced by the environment such as peer pressure, parents’ expectation and absence of familiar role models who inspire them to imagine their future work in those fields.
According to the White Paper on Gender Equality by the Cabinet Office (2019 edition), based on the current situation as described above, government agencies are taking various approaches in fostering the interest of female students in science and engineering fields and reviewing curriculum guidelines to broaden their options in career paths.
The Cabinet Office is making various efforts such as "Challenges to Science and Engineering" (Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office website) to provide students with opportunities to arouse their interest in science and engineering. In addition, in 2018, it created a new program called "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Girls Ambassadors," aiming to foster a social movement to support female students in choosing their career paths in science and engineering and to present various female workers (role models) who are active in the fields of science and engineering by holding seminars throughout Japan.
Emphasizing appropriate guidance by teachers without gender bias at school, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has decided to conduct the development of "Teacher Training Programs to Promote Equal Participation of Men and Women" as part of the "Education Promotion Project for Next-Generation Life Planning”.
Universities are now introducing a teaching method of gender education by creating their unique subject on gender equality. For example, some universities are now offering their would-be teachers opportunities to learn about these gender equality initiatives.
The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) is carrying out the "Support Program for Enabling Female High School Students to Choose Science and Engineering Majors" and promoting symposiums and workshops targeted at junior and senior high school girls, their parents and teachers in collaboration of industry, academia and government.
JAXA's Work-Life Support and Diversity Office is assisting female students in choosing science and engineering fields through participation in “Challenges to Science and Engineering" of the Cabinet Office as part of our Supporting the Careers of Women in the Next Generation. We also hold public talk about JAXA’s female employees’ career paths, their R&D activities and experiences in balancing career and family life on our annual open house day.
Please feel free to join our events. We are looking forward to seeing you here.
The Tsukuba Space Center will hold Open House Day. The details will be provided later.
The Sagamihara Campus will hold Open House Day. The details will be provided later.
On October 11, advanced registration (first come first served) are required for admission between 10am to 2pm.
Registration will open at noon on August 1st.
Capacity: 6,000 people
*From 2pm to 4:30pm admission is NO registration required.
Chofu Aerospace Center Open House Day was held locally.
The Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk twice on "Learning the secrets of airplane with kids".
JAXA Symposium 2024, "Turn ideas into reality. Let's move the future." was held at Hitotsubashi Hall, Tokyo.
☆The archived videos can be found here in JAPANESE...
☆You can also check the former JAXA symposiums in Japanese...
Sagamihara Campus Open House Day was held "locally" on November 2 and "online" on November 3 .
The Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk twice about "JAXA workers' Work and Life Balance" on November 2.
Tsukuba Space Center Open House Day was held locally.
The Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk twice on "JAXA workers' Work and Life Balance".
1st： Job description of JAXA Chief Engineer Office
2nd：Talk on Work and Life Balance at JAXA
Chofu Aerospace Center Open House Day was held locally.
The Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk twice on "Learning the secrets of airplane with kids".
JAXA has live streamed "JAXA Symposium 2023".
☆For the video archives in JAPANESE…
☆and more info in JAPANESE...
☆You can also check the former JAXA symposiums in Japanese...
Tsukuba Space Center Open House Day was held locally.
The Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk twice on "JAXA workers' Work and Life Balance".
1st : Talk on Work and Life Balance at JAXA
2nd: Job description of JAXA Safety and Mission Assuarance Department
Sagamihara Campus Open House Day was held "locally" on November 3 and "online" on November 4 .
The Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk and workplace tours.
Public talk on working at JAXA
Workplace tour
Chofu Aerospace Center Open House Day was held locally since 2019. During the event, the Work-Life Support and Diversity Office hold public talk twice on "How JAXA researchers deal with COVID-19".
JAXA has live streamed "JAXA Symposium 2022".
☆For the video archives in JAPANESE...
☆and more info in JAPANESE...
☆You can also check the former JAXA symposiums in Japanese...
As the official side event of the 28th Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), JAXA and Space Generation Advisory Council（SGAC）has co-organized the online event ”SPACE4DIVERSITY” which promoting diversity in the Asia-Pacific sector. We welcomed people who are active domestically and internationally, and actively exchanged opinions at the panel and discussion sessions regarding the promotion of women's empowerment.
Open House Day at Sagamihara Campus was held “online”.
During the event, the Work-Life Support and Diversity Office introduced video on work style especially in JAXA Sagamihara Campus.
By answering the survey which appears at the end of video, you will get a pretty wallpaper!
On Saturday, October 22, 2022, Open House Day at Sagamihara Campus was held locally. For more info
As a pre-event of Sagamihara Campus Open House, we had individual Career counseling sessions and twenty persons joined in online.
