A general symposium was held to support the research activities of female researchers.

2014.03.17

On March 2014, 3 (Wednesday), at the lecture room on the 5st floor of the Shirataka Building on the Shinagawa Campus, a general symposium on the project to support research activities for female researchers at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, titled "Women Researchers Living Together with the Sea Today."And from now on. "has been held.

This symposium consisted of three parts as a summary of activities over the past three years.Part 3 will be a keynote speech and a report on this project, and Part 3 will be from organizations and companies in the ocean-related field, presenting gender equality, the current status and problems of female researchers, and future challenges, and expectations for educational institutions including our university. Presentations on this matter, and the third part was a panel discussion by the speakers and a lot of content.

At the beginning, President Nobuaki Okamoto said, "Women are important lives. Today, women are being questioned as to where they can play an active role in a changing society. The keyword for these activities is 'for a long time.' I would like to consider support from a long-term perspective," said the opening address.

Next, Ms. Yoko Fujie, Director of Gender Equality Learning Division, Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, was invited to give a keynote speech titled "Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education."The lecture began with an explanation of the current state of gender equality in Japan, government policies, and policies of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.Next, while analyzing a lot of data such as international comparison of the employment ratio of female researchers and the form of support that researchers want, we will discuss the development of an environment where work and childcare can be compatible. In addition, the participation of women in the decision-making layer is an issue. It has been reported that results such as an increase have been obtained.There were also introductions of unique initiatives by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, such as "Women's Life Planning Support" and "100 Men's Association World Café."Next, Director Ikeda gave a business report on support for research activities by female researchers at the university, ending Part 1.

In Part 2, "Expectations and Issues - Current Situation and Expectations for Gender Equality and Support for Female Researchers in Ocean-Related Fields", three people from organizations and companies were asked about the ratio of women and the number of female researchers and engineers. We were introduced to the current situation, use cases, and our company's efforts.

• “Overview of the National Maritime Research Institute and the Current Status of Female Researchers”
  Mr. Ichiro Tsujimura, Director of Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration, Planning Department, National Maritime Research Institute
• “Development of Female Engineers and Challenges”
  Mr. Hideo Tabata, Chairman and Representative Director, IDEA Co., Ltd.
• “The present and future of female researchers living with the sea.”
  Mr. Kazuma Niramatsu, Director, Sales Planning Department, Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.

After a break, in Part 3, a panel discussion was held between the faculty members of the university and the speakers on the theme of "Considering how to support female researchers in ocean-related fields and how gender equality should be."A discussion was held by five panelists, including Professor Naoko Hamada (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Department of Food Distribution Safety Management).The moderator was Ms. Kifune, Deputy Director of the Organization for Women Researchers.
There was a lively exchange of opinions on how to deal with life events such as childbirth and childcare for female researchers and engineers at ocean-related companies, where our graduates are likely to be involved in the future. The importance of information sharing, such as ways of thinking and countermeasures, and the necessity of establishing an organizational backup system were raised as new issues that should be considered in the future.

Finally, Kanji Soma, Director of the Gender Equality Promotion Office, said, "I believe that taking care of one's family is the first step to revitalizing an organization and society, but Japan does not have a sufficient support system for female researchers. I would like to use today's symposium as an opportunity to increase the percentage of female researchers who are active in the field of marine science and technology through cooperation among ocean-related organizations, companies, and universities." rice field.

About XNUMX people from inside and outside the university participated in the event despite the unfortunate weather.In particular, there are many men in institutions and companies, and the survey also indicated that "companies that provide solid support for female employees are very attractive" and "a university that focuses on supporting female researchers will appeal to researchers and female students." I think it will be connected.”

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who came to visit us.thank you very much.