スクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは異なる場合があります。

Go, Go Rikejo!

Nishikawa Chihiro (National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College)

Have you ever heard of Rikejo? “Rike” means science and engineering and “Jo” means girl. So, a Rikejo is a female scientist or engineer. When an article written by female high school students from Ibaraki was published three years ago in “The Journal of Physical Chemistry,” the media took it up as a “Brilliant feat of Rikejo” and the word "Rikejo" became famous. However, even though Rikejo are now famous, only 17% of 15 year old Japanese girls want to get a job in science, and just 12% of engineering graduates are women. So, why do so few women want to be Rikejo?

Well, in our male dominated society, working Rikejo have to raise kids and do housework, while keeping up their commitments as full-time researchers. Yes, it is hard work! Many take a year or two off to raise their children, which is not welcomed by many employers. As a consequence, Rikejo sometimes struggle to find employment, and, when they do find a job, they are promoted less often than their male counterparts. Even when women are promoted, it is difficult for us to rise as high as men. Imagine you are climbing up some stairs, step by step, when, all of a sudden, you hit your head on something invisible. You look up and you can see the very top of the stairs where the male executives are smiling down toward you. This is the glass ceiling, which prevents us from reaching higher positions, no matter how hard we try.

Things are slowly beginning to change, though. In an effort to improve things, the Japanese government has finally begun to provide more support for female scientists. For example, they are setting up day-care centers at universities and increasing the number of technical assistants in research teams. But these efforts are still in their early stages. We need MORE!

However, it isn't all bad news for Rikejo. Imagine! Half of all consumers are women, and they have a big influence on big family purchases, such as cars and household appliances. That means the views of women are essential in developing and marketing products. Some companies are therefore starting to take in more Rikejo, and hold Rikejo-only job festivals. Now that female scientists are more valued and receive more child support, I hope that less of them will quit their jobs.

Men and women in Japan can work actively together, but what we need is a change in the working environment. Female friendly working places! Boys! Don't be upset! What I mean is a little help to make a level playing field. To that end, the number of Rikejo must increase.

To encourage more Japanese girls to take up science, the Ministry of Education is now actively promoting science and engineering majors to female school students by inviting them meet with female scientists and engineers. This is a powerful boost for Rikejo!

When my school held a girls-only lecture, a female Kosen graduate talked about life at her company. Though she is the only woman in her department, support for female employees, such as childcare leave, is better than at other companies. She works just as hard as her male coworkers and really enjoys her work. I realized that though there are few female engineers in society, it is possible to be a successful Rikejo. Before the lecture, I had been filled with anxiety about my future career, but I now knew a Rikejo with a rewarding job. After hearing her talk, I wanted more girls to work hard as Rikejo too! Because of this, I decided to take action to increase the number of Rikejo.

On my school's open campus day, I worked as an assistant to my supervising professor during an open lecture for elementary and junior high school students. I did an experiment with them, but they showed little reaction. It was difficult to show how enjoyable experiments can be, but I'll try my best to get more Rikejo to join our school!

My supervising professor is also a Rikejo. She graduated from Kosen before going on to graduate school. I'd like to follow her example and become a successful Rikejo researcher, too. A cool and beautiful Rikejo in a white coat!! Sounds wonderful! But not just me! I want more girls to become Rikejo, too. To really make this dream come true, we all need to work together. Companies, the government, schoools, and of course, us Rikejo. Together we'll show you what we can do! Go, go Rikejo!!