UTokyo to Launch "UTokyo Gender Equity Initiative #WeChange" (AY2022-AY2027)
The University of Tokyo (President: Teruo Fujii; hereinafter referred to as “UTokyo”) has launched “UTokyo Gender Equity Initiative #WeChange”, an initiative to develop female leaders. The initiative aims to raise awareness among all members of UTokyo, including faculty, staff, and students, as well as double the rate of increase of female faculty compared to the past decade by recruiting approximately 140 female professors and 160 female associate professors—a total of approximately 300 female faculty members—by AY2027.
In September 2021, UTokyo announced “UTokyo Compass”, a set of principles, goals, and specific actions that will guide the university in the coming decades, under the title “Into a Sea of Diversity: Creating the Future through Dialogue”. Under this UTokyo Compass, we published “The University of Tokyo Statement on Diversity & Inclusion (D&I)” in June 2022 and have since been working toward the achievement of diversity and inclusion.
To put these principles and statements into steady action, UTokyo applied to participate in "Initiative for Implementation of Diverse Research Environment (Female Leader Development Type)", under the MEXT Science and Technology Human Resource Development Support Program, and was selected in October 2022. Under this program, we will launch “UTokyo Gender Equity Initiative #WeChange” with the aim of developing female leaders and conduct the following efforts.
I. Foundation development for Gender Equity Initiative
Raise awareness among all members of UTokyo, including faculty, staff, and students.
UTokyo’s aim of realizing a sustainable increase in the number of females in senior positions cannot be achieved simply through personnel management, such as supporting the career development of female researchers and female-only recruitment of faculty members. The entire community of UTokyo must deepen its understanding of diversity.
Action plan I
I-1 Implementation of gender justice training for faculty and staff
Provide training for all faculty and staff members as well as training targeted at specific members of UTokyo, such as deans of faculties, directors of institutes, and other management staff.
I-2 Education of gender justice for students
Create gender-related classes and promote the visualization of gender-related courses.
I-3 Visualization of male and female research activity data
Promote the visualization of researchers of UTokyo and their research results.
I-4 Support for the promotion of work-life balance
(Link: Support of researchers | Office for Gender Equality, The University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp))
Enhance the management of on-campus day nurseries, the deployment of support staff for researchers (applicable to both female and male faculty members), etc.
UTokyo’s aim of realizing a sustainable increase in the number of females in senior positions cannot be achieved simply through personnel management, such as supporting the career development of female researchers and female-only recruitment of faculty members. The entire community of UTokyo must deepen its understanding of diversity.
Action plan I
I-1 Implementation of gender justice training for faculty and staff
Provide training for all faculty and staff members as well as training targeted at specific members of UTokyo, such as deans of faculties, directors of institutes, and other management staff.
I-2 Education of gender justice for students
Create gender-related classes and promote the visualization of gender-related courses.
I-3 Visualization of male and female research activity data
Promote the visualization of researchers of UTokyo and their research results.
I-4 Support for the promotion of work-life balance
(Link: Support of researchers | Office for Gender Equality, The University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp))
Enhance the management of on-campus day nurseries, the deployment of support staff for researchers (applicable to both female and male faculty members), etc.
II. Seamless career development for female researchers from graduate to senior management level
Increase the number of females at all levels, from young researchers to faculty members to top management positions.
UTokyo will support the seamless career development for female researchers from graduate to senior management level. University-wide efforts will be made to promote comprehensive career management for female researchers to boost the number of females in senior positions.
Action plan II
II-1 Support for the development of young female researchers’ skills
(Link: Support of researchers | Office for Gender Equality, The University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp))
Expand the support for the submission of papers and participation in international conferences.
II-2 Training courses to foster research team leaders
Acquire senior management skills to lead research teams.
II-3 Leadership development programs for female faculty members
Acquire senior-level skills for university management.
UTokyo will support the seamless career development for female researchers from graduate to senior management level. University-wide efforts will be made to promote comprehensive career management for female researchers to boost the number of females in senior positions.
Action plan II
II-1 Support for the development of young female researchers’ skills
(Link: Support of researchers | Office for Gender Equality, The University of Tokyo (u-tokyo.ac.jp))
Expand the support for the submission of papers and participation in international conferences.
II-2 Training courses to foster research team leaders
Acquire senior management skills to lead research teams.
II-3 Leadership development programs for female faculty members
Acquire senior-level skills for university management.
III. Rapid increase in female faculty
Double the rate of increase of females in senior positions; increase the ratio of female faculty members to 25% and that of female Ph.D. recipients to 30%.
UTokyo will build a solid foundation for Gender Equity Initiative by achieving Target 1 of awareness-raising and Target II of developing career paths for female researchers, and implement strong measures to accelerate the increase in the number of female faculty members to achieve Target III, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of drastically enhancing the gender diversity and inclusiveness at UTokyo.
Action plan III
III-1 Enhancement of programs to accelerate the increase in the number of female faculty members (professors and associate professors)
Support personnel costs for professors and associate professors for a given period.
III-2 System for the recruitment of role model female faculty members
Bring female professors to UTokyo with a high salary exceeding the conventional wage standards.
III-3 Meeting to discuss a five-year plan* to accelerate the increase in the number of female personnel in faculties and institutes
Establish a meeting for vice deans or similar positions of faculties and institutes to discuss the measures to promote the recruitment of female faculty members.
UTokyo will build a solid foundation for Gender Equity Initiative by achieving Target 1 of awareness-raising and Target II of developing career paths for female researchers, and implement strong measures to accelerate the increase in the number of female faculty members to achieve Target III, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of drastically enhancing the gender diversity and inclusiveness at UTokyo.
Action plan III
III-1 Enhancement of programs to accelerate the increase in the number of female faculty members (professors and associate professors)
Support personnel costs for professors and associate professors for a given period.
III-2 System for the recruitment of role model female faculty members
Bring female professors to UTokyo with a high salary exceeding the conventional wage standards.
III-3 Meeting to discuss a five-year plan* to accelerate the increase in the number of female personnel in faculties and institutes
Establish a meeting for vice deans or similar positions of faculties and institutes to discuss the measures to promote the recruitment of female faculty members.
This target has been set based on the goal of increasing the ratio of female faculty members (professors, associate professors, lecturers, and assistant professors including specially appointed professors) to 25%, which is referred to in UTokyo Compass and the 4th Mid-term Goals and Mid-term Plans. Accordingly, UTokyo aims to double the rate of increase of females in senior positions (professors and associate professors excluding specially appointed professors). Consequently, the number of female faculty members to be recruited by AY2027 will significantly increase to 141 for professors and 165 for associate professors—the most ambitious target and action plans ever adopted since the foundation of UTokyo.
In UTokyo Compass and the 4th Mid-term Goals and Mid-term Plans, UTokyo has set the goal of raising the ratio of female faculty members (professors, associate professors, lecturers, and assistant professors) to 25% by AY2027. Part of the concrete strategy for achieving this goal is Target III, which is to be supported by Targets I and II.
Under Target III, UTokyo will seek to double the rate of increase of females in senior positions (professors and associate professors) compared to the previous 10 years. This equates to one quarter of all new appointments and promotions to professor and associate professor positions, and will result in a large number of females taking up such positions: 141 professors and 165 associate professors (excluding specially appointed positions) in the six years to AY2027 alone.
At present, around 200 individuals are appointed to professor and associate professor positions each year, including internal promotions, but only around 35 of these are females. The three initiatives under Action Plan III seek to raise this number by a factor of 1.4 to around 50 per year. Over a six-year period, this should result in a total of 300 females (900 men) among the 1,200 new appointments to professor and associate professor positions.
If implementation proceeds according to plan, the overall number of female professors and associate professors is expected to reach 400 out of a total of 2,300 by the start of 2028.
Moreover, by ensuring that one third of early-career faculty (lecturer and assistant professor) appointees are female and appointing a similar proportion of females to specially appointed faculty positions, UTokyo aims to achieve the UTokyo Compass goal of raising the ratio of female faculty members to 25%. This also accords with the goal of having females account for 30% of new research appointments, as stated in UTokyo Compass and the University of Tokyo General Employer Action Plan.
Most of these efforts are targeted at females, but the minority-friendly environment built through these efforts will certainly benefit all University members. Through “UTokyo Gender Equity Initiative #WeChange,” we will steadily create “a university that anyone in the world would want to join”.
* “Five-year plan to accelerate the increase in the number of female personnel in faculties and institutes”: Beginning in AY2021, UTokyo’s faculties and institutes are each drawing up a plan for gender equality initiatives in personnel and other areas to be carried out over a five-year period. Each faculty and institute formulates a scheme for increasing their number of female faculty members and developing an environment that will enable such an increase, and shares its experiences with other faculties and institutes.
In UTokyo Compass and the 4th Mid-term Goals and Mid-term Plans, UTokyo has set the goal of raising the ratio of female faculty members (professors, associate professors, lecturers, and assistant professors) to 25% by AY2027. Part of the concrete strategy for achieving this goal is Target III, which is to be supported by Targets I and II.
Under Target III, UTokyo will seek to double the rate of increase of females in senior positions (professors and associate professors) compared to the previous 10 years. This equates to one quarter of all new appointments and promotions to professor and associate professor positions, and will result in a large number of females taking up such positions: 141 professors and 165 associate professors (excluding specially appointed positions) in the six years to AY2027 alone.
At present, around 200 individuals are appointed to professor and associate professor positions each year, including internal promotions, but only around 35 of these are females. The three initiatives under Action Plan III seek to raise this number by a factor of 1.4 to around 50 per year. Over a six-year period, this should result in a total of 300 females (900 men) among the 1,200 new appointments to professor and associate professor positions.
If implementation proceeds according to plan, the overall number of female professors and associate professors is expected to reach 400 out of a total of 2,300 by the start of 2028.
Moreover, by ensuring that one third of early-career faculty (lecturer and assistant professor) appointees are female and appointing a similar proportion of females to specially appointed faculty positions, UTokyo aims to achieve the UTokyo Compass goal of raising the ratio of female faculty members to 25%. This also accords with the goal of having females account for 30% of new research appointments, as stated in UTokyo Compass and the University of Tokyo General Employer Action Plan.
Most of these efforts are targeted at females, but the minority-friendly environment built through these efforts will certainly benefit all University members. Through “UTokyo Gender Equity Initiative #WeChange,” we will steadily create “a university that anyone in the world would want to join”.
* “Five-year plan to accelerate the increase in the number of female personnel in faculties and institutes”: Beginning in AY2021, UTokyo’s faculties and institutes are each drawing up a plan for gender equality initiatives in personnel and other areas to be carried out over a five-year period. Each faculty and institute formulates a scheme for increasing their number of female faculty members and developing an environment that will enable such an increase, and shares its experiences with other faculties and institutes.
