The following is our inclusive plan. Due to time constraints, we have only done part of it. If there is time in
the future, we will continue to work on our efforts.
Background
Under a patriarchal society which has lasted for a long term, Patriarchy remained until
today even though the of abstraction of the public is altering. The idea that "women's lack of talent is virtue"
has severely affected the overall education attainment of women, thus causing a barrier for women in scientific
research. According to UNICEF, around 12.932 billion girls are deprived of education worldwide. Moreover, only
49%
of countries achieved gender parity in primary education, and the lack of equality is even more alarming in
further educational stages, dispossessing the entitlement of female in participating in STEM. Meanwhile, the
stereotype that Women suit studying liberal arts instead of science exacerbated the disproportion in education,
damaging confidence and achievement of female researchers, more importantly, devastating trust in women-led
researches[1][2].
Stereotype
investigation
We released a questionnaire and sought for information online to investigate the
public's
perception of female stereotypes, and through (data) the results of multiple questionnaires, we draw the
following
conclusions.1 In East Asia, especially in China, stereotypes of women are centered on the family rather than the
workplace. In Japan, 29.1% of women are full-time housewives [3]. Even in terms of career choices, the public
tends to push women to choose literal jobs rather than scientific research.2 The traditional Chinese belief is
that "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue", and even today, the older generation still tends to urge women to
build a family and get married instead of pursuing further education, not to mention time-consuming and
intensive
scientific research work.3 In remote areas, women's educational level is influenced by traditional beliefs, and
women encounter difficulties in completing their education, including financial support, social pressure and
more.4 Women who are involved in research and obtain a PhD usually graduate between 28 and 30, and Chinese
tradition insists that women should get married before the age of 30. However, the pressure of research during
the
completion of a PhD is intense, and both marriage and childbearing can become challenges to their studies.5
After
students complete their studies and enter a research organisation, there is usually an assessment period. For
women, if they are forced by the social pressure to get married and have children, it will greatly affect the
time
available for work, resulting in fewer research outputs and a higher probability of failing the assessment.So,
in
general, women researchers have a great deal of challenges in this area of the family. They are often faced with
insufficient financial support, a high age of marriage, late childbearing, lack of time for grooming, lack of
time
to socialise and find a partner, high levels of stress and consequent irritability towards their partner, low
incomes, unstable employment, irregular working hours, and very little time for the family.
Future plan
investigation
sociology expert
We plan to conduct interviews with sociological experts who focus on the impact of stereotypes on women to learn about the requirements placed on women in traditional cognition and the efforts modern women make to combat stereotypes.Teacher interviews
We plan to conduct interviews with school teachers.Teachers who teach natural science can analyze it for us in terms of knowledge acceptance and performance.
We plan to conduct interviews with sociological experts who focus on the impact of stereotypes on women to learn about the requirements placed on women in traditional cognition and the efforts modern women make to combat stereotypes.Teacher interviews
We plan to conduct interviews with school teachers.Teachers who teach natural science can analyze it for us in terms of knowledge acceptance and performance.
Activity
Video promotion
We published videos against stereotypes on the short video platform TikTok. By
introducing
women who have achieved success in fields that are not traditionally considered by women, especially fields
related to STEM and biology, we will encourage women facing professional and career choices to actively
participate in STEM instead of obeying stereotypes.
On-the-ground propaganda
We plan to carry out on-the-ground publicity to encourage villagers to break traditional
concepts and support girls at home to receive further education. At the same time, we conduct popular science
introductions about STEM in local primary schools to encourage girls to actively learn and devote themselves to
scientific research and science work.
donation activities
We plan to donate books to rural primary schools, aiming to help local female students
receive STEM education and increase their participation in scientific research in the future.
online discussion
We conducted an online interview with a high school feminist club to obtain information
about the situation of women in the scientific research workplace that we are concerned about.1. Will gender
opposition be reflected in the workplace?2 The impact of stereotypes on mainstream concepts3 How to improve
women’s participation in STEM careers4 Advantages of women participating in scientific research5 barriers women
encounter when choosing to study science
References
[1] Gwen C. Marchand and Gita Taasoobshirazi. “Stereotype Threat and Women's Performance
in Physics” https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2012.683461
[2] AMY E. BELL, STEVEN J. SPENCER, EMMA ISERMAN, CHRISTINE E.R. LOGEL. “Stereotype Threat and Women's Performance in Engineering” https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00774.x
[3] 2022年(令和4年)平均結果の要約、概要、統計表の一括ダウンロード by Statistics Bureau of Japan https://www.stat.go.jp/data/roudou/sokuhou/nen/ft/index.html
[2] AMY E. BELL, STEVEN J. SPENCER, EMMA ISERMAN, CHRISTINE E.R. LOGEL. “Stereotype Threat and Women's Performance in Engineering” https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00774.x
[3] 2022年(令和4年)平均結果の要約、概要、統計表の一括ダウンロード by Statistics Bureau of Japan https://www.stat.go.jp/data/roudou/sokuhou/nen/ft/index.html