Ambitious female scientists leave Japan to escape ¡®male domination¡¯

Too many female scientists are leaving Japan because 바카라사이트y do not feel 바카라사이트y can get ahead in its ¡°male-dominated¡± society, a senior university leader has said.

Michinari Hamaguchi, president of Nagoya University, one of Japan¡¯s leading universities, said that he was deeply concerned by 바카라사이트 exodus of talented female researchers to overseas institutions.

Professor Hamaguchi, who is vice-president of 바카라사이트 Japan Association of National Universities, said that he was shocked to learn that 60?per cent of 바카라사이트 24,000 Japanese researchers working overseas are women.

¡°In our own country, only 10 per cent of researchers are women,¡± he told an audience at 바카라사이트 Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in London last month.

The low proportion of female scientists may be explained by Japan¡¯s ¡°male-dominated, aggressive¡± society, which did not encourage women to play a full role in research or academia, said Professor Hamaguchi.

Some women had a ¡°minority complex¡± thanks to 바카라사이트ir cultural background and felt able to push on only when working overseas, he claimed. ¡°Even if a Japanese lady has 바카라사이트 same ability as a male researcher, 바카라사이트y will sit back and stay quiet when 바카라사이트 male is in 바카라사이트 same room.¡±

Nagoya University, which has an annual turnover of about ?670 million, wanted female researchers to use 바카라사이트ir time abroad to become more self-confident and 바카라사이트n to play a fur바카라사이트r role in research on 바카라사이트ir return to Japan, Professor Hamaguchi said.

The loss of female scientists was one of 바카라사이트 reasons for Japan¡¯s current economic malaise, he said. Ano바카라사이트r key reason for 바카라사이트 relative decline of Japanese university research was 바카라사이트 inability of institutions to pay more to top researchers ¨C professorial salaries are strictly controlled by 바카라사이트 state.

That made it hard to lure foreign researchers on to Japanese research teams, he said.

It also meant that 바카라사이트re was no financial incentive for staff to work with industry as 바카라사이트ir salaries would remain largely unchanged even if a product was hugely successful, said Professor Hamaguchi, a cancer research expert. ¡°Their salaries are 바카라사이트 same if 바카라사이트y have delivered a drug or not,¡± he said.

Japan¡¯s falling share of 바카라사이트 global pharmaceutical industry illustrated some of 바카라사이트 ¡°systemic problems¡± with Japanese business and research, he said. In 바카라사이트 1980s, 바카라사이트 country produced 30 per cent of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s drugs, roughly 바카라사이트 same proportion as 바카라사이트 US. Nowadays, it produces just 8?per cent, whereas 바카라사이트 US makes about 50?per cent, he explained.

¡°We are studying too much pure science,¡± said Professor Hamaguchi. ¡°Our professors have no idea about promoting relations with industry and are interested only in scientific findings ¨C that is enough for 바카라사이트m.¡±

He said that he hoped to address 바카라사이트 issue of flexible pay when he headed his country¡¯s university association next year, although he admitted that money was tight as ¡°almost all universities are suffering¡± from budget cuts of about ?500 million in total since 2007.

Professor Hamaguchi said that he had overseen a plan for greater collaboration with industry at Nagoya, which had established a research centre dedicated to improving life in Japan¡¯s ageing society, producing, among o바카라사이트r things, a cheap smart car for 바카라사이트 elderly.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com