https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/08/tokyo-medical-school-admits-changing-results-to-exclude-women

Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude womenUniversity manipulated test scores for more than a decade to ensure more men became doctorsJustin McCurry in Tokyo and agenciesWed 8 Aug 2018 00.39 BST

 Japanese medical university apologises for excluding women

One of Japan’s most prestigious medical schools has admitted deliberately altering entrance exam scores for more than a decade to restrict the number of female students and ensure more men became doctors.

Tokyo Medical University manipulated all entrance exam results starting in 2006 or even earlier, according to findings released by lawyers involved in the investigation, confirming recent reports in Japanese media.

The school, which initially denied knowledge of the test score manipulations, said it should not have occurred and vowed to prevent it from happening again. It said it would consider retroactively admitting those who otherwise would have passed the exams, although it did not explain how it would do so.

“We sincerely apologise for the serious wrongdoing involving entrance exams that has caused concern and trouble for many people and betrayed the public’s trust,” the school’s managing director, Tetsuo Yukioka, said at a news conference. He denied any previous knowledge of the score manipulation and said he was never involved.

“I suspect that there was a lack of sensitivity to the rules of modern society, in which women should not be treated differently because of their gender,” he said. Yukioka said women were not treated differently once they were accepted, but acknowledged that some people believe women were not allowed to become surgeons.

The manipulation was revealed during an investigation into the alleged “backdoor entry” of an education ministry bureaucrat’s son in exchange for favourable treatment for the school in obtaining research funds. The bureaucrat and the former head of the school have been charged with bribery. The investigation found that in this year’s entrance exams the school reduced all applicants’ first-stage test scores by 20% and then added at least 20 points for male applicants, except those who had previously failed the test at least four times. It said similar manipulations had occurred for years because the school wanted fewer female doctors, since it anticipated they would shorten or halt their careers after having children.

It is not clear how many women have been affected, but the practice started in 2006, according to Japanese media, potentially affecting a large number of candidates. The education ministry official’s son, who had failed the exam three times, was given a total of 20 additional points, which eventually elevated him to just above the cutoff line. The report said the manipulation was “profound sexism”1, according to lawyer Kenji Nakai.

He said the investigation also suggested that the school’s former director took money from some parents who sought preferential treatment for their sons and that the manipulation was part of a deep-rooted culture that lacked fairness and transparency. Nakai said the report only covered the latest exam results because of time constraints, and that further investigation was needed. There was a lack of sensitivity to the rules of modern society in which women should not be treated differently because of their gender,” said Kenji Naki.

Nearly 50% of   Japanese   women are college educated — one of the world’s highest levels — but they often face discrimination in the workforce. Women also are considered responsible for homemaking, childrearing and caring for elderly relatives, while men are expected to work long hours. 2 Outside care services are limited. Studies show the share of female doctors who have passed the national medical exam has

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plateaued at around 30% for more than 20 years, leading some experts to suspect that other medical schools also discriminate against women. 3

The revelations have added weight to claims of institutional sexism in the Japanese workplace and education, frustrating efforts by the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to create a society “in which women can shine”. While women’s representation in the workplace is rising, Japan compares poorly with other countries in promoting women to senior positions. Many female employees find it difficult to return to work after giving birth.

The education minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said exam discrimination against women was “absolutely unacceptable,” adding that the ministry planned to examine admission procedures at all of the country’s medical schools. The gender equality minister, Seiko Noda, told public broadcaster NHK: “It’s extremely disturbing if the university didn’t let women pass the exams because they think it’s difficult to work with female doctors.”

The revelations sparked fury on social media. “I’m 29 and will probably never get married,” said one poster. “Women are pitied if they don’t, but Japanese women who are married and working and have kids end up sleeping less than anybody in the world. To now hear that even our skills are suppressed makes me shake with rage.” Another said: “I ignored my parents, who said women don’t belong in academia, and got into the best university in Japan. But in job interviews I’m told ‘If you were a man, we’d hire you right away.’ My enemy wasn’t my parents, but all society itself.”

The lawyers also said that the university’s former chairman and president had received money from the parents of applicants whose entrance exam scores were padded, according to Kyodo. They allegedly raised the exam results of the children of former graduates in the hope that the parents would make donations to the school, the news agency said.

Questions. Look at the underlined parts above and answer the questions about underlined parts 1, 2, and 3.

1. What are your reactions to this article?

2. Look at the first underlined1 part, why do you think the university system began doing this? Do you think this happens at other schools?

3. The second underlined part states that 50% of womyn in Japan are college educated, one of the worlds highest levels, but face discrimination. Why do you think this happens?

4. Look at the third underlined part. What are your own biases about doctors? Are they men or womyn? Does this article make you think differently? Explain

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Women outperform men after Japan medical school stops rigging exam scores Juntendo University says abolishing unfair treatment of women is behind rise in entrance

exam scores Justin McCurry in Tokyo Wed 19 Jun 2019 19.00 BST

Women have outperformed their male counterparts in entrance examinations for a medical school in Japan that last year admitted rigging admission procedures to give men an unfair advantage.

Juntendo University in Tokyo said that of the 1,679 women who took its medical school entrance exam earlier this year, 139, or 8.28%, had passed. The pass rate among 2,202 male candidates was 7.72%. 4

It was the first time in seven years that the pass rate among women was higher than among men, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

The university attributed the exam results to its decision to “abolish the unfair treatment of female applicants” after last year’s revelations.

Juntendo was one of several medical schools that were found to have manipulated exam results to give first-time male applicants an advantage over women and others who had previously failed the exam.

The dean of the medical school, Hiroyuki Daida, initially attempted to justify the practice, saying women matured faster than men and had better communication skills. “In some ways, this was a measure designed to help male applicants,” he told reporters.

The sexist admissions policy drew widespread criticism after the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper revealed in August last year that Tokyo medical college had rigged exam scores for more than a decade to favour male candidates, citing concerns that women who went on to become doctors would leave the profession to have children.

Last month, the medical school said female applicants had performed slightly better than men this year after gender-based anomalies in the admissions procedure were removed.

The pass rate among women at Tokyo medical school was 20.4%, 0.4 percentage points higher than among male candidates, the university said, according to the Japan Times. The success rate the previous year, when the discriminatory marking practice was still in place, was just 2.9 % for women and 9% for men.

In 2016, women accounted for just 21.1% of all doctors in Japan, the lowest level among nations belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Among G7 countries, Britain had the highest proportion, at 47.2%, followed by Germany, France and Canada.

The medical school scandal reinforced claims of institutional sexism in the Japanese workplace and education, frustrating efforts by the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to create a society “in which women can shine”.

While women’s representation in the workplace is rising, Japan compares poorly with other countries in promoting women to senior positions. Many female employees face discrimination when trying to return to work after giving birth.

Question 4: What do you think about this article? What does it mean?

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 It was the first time in seven years that the pass rate among women at Juntendo University was higher than among men it was reported. Photograph: imagenavi/Getty Images

#KuToo outlines case against forcing women to wear heelsBy AZUSA MISHIMA/ Staff WriterJune 12, 2019 at 19:00 JST http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/photo/AS20190612003678.html

Yumi Ishikawa says the practice of requiring women to wear heels at work is a form of discrimination, and she is determined to fight it.

“Even things that are accepted as good manners can be forms of gender discrimination,” Ishikawa, founder of the “#KuToo” movement, told a meeting in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on June 11. “It's wrong for only women to have to work in footwear that is painful."

“KuToo” took its inspiration from the global “MeToo” movement against sexual harassment.

The name is also a play on the Japanese words for shoes, "kutsu," and pain, also "kutsu."

Ishikawa, 32, and fellow campaigners submitted an online petition with 18,800 signatures on June 3, asking the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to ban companies from requiring female staff to wear heels.

Shino Naito, a vice senior researcher at the government-affiliated Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training, is another member who joined the June 11 meeting.

“It has been verified scientifically that wearing heels or pumps increases health risks and accidents,” she said. “If such footwear is not necessary for work, requiring women to wear them infringes on their right to self-determination.”

One participant at the meeting noted that the practice is not limited to workplaces.

“Suits for job hunting are sold with pumps as a set. Practically speaking, we don’t have any other choices," she said.

Another said: “Such a strange social norm must be changed.”

The petition called for setting a legal provision that bans the requirement to wear heels, arguing that such a dress code constitutes a form of gender discrimination or harassment.

A ministry official who is handling the petition said, “It is difficult for the government to draw a line between things it should ban and things workers and employers should discuss at their workplaces.”

Question 5: What is the #kutoo movement? Do you agree with Yumi Ishikawa? What are your reactions?

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Yumi Ishikawa, actress, makes her pitch against forcing women to wear heels at work during a meeting in Tokyo’s Nagatacho district on June 11. (Azusa Mishima)

Shoemaker Jun Ito brings pumps in size 27 and asks men to try wearing them during a meeting in Tokyo’s Nagatacho district on June 11.

Gender equality in Japan remains bottomThe World Economic Forum has published its annual report on gender equality. It says there has been a marginal improvement over last year in terms of the gender gap, with improvement seen in 89 of 144 countries.

Japan has also moved up four ranks, but is still only in 110th place. It remains the worst-ranked of all G7 countries. What is happening -- or not -- in the country?

2018 gender equality report

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Iceland retained the title of the world’s most gender-equal society for the 10th straight year. It was followed by Nordic countries such as Norway and Sweden. Among the major economies, France ranked 12th, Germany was 14th, Britain was 15th, and the US ranked 51st. There are 6 countries which ranked 100th or lower among G20 nations. They are China in 103rd place, India in 108th, Japan in 110th, South Korea in 115th, Turkey in 130th, and Saudi Arabia in 141st place.

The 2018 report says the world still has a long way to go in terms of women's leadership in politics and business. Seventeen of 149 countries currently have women as heads of state. On average, only 18% of ministers and 24% of lawmakers are women. As for business, women are in just 34% of managerial positions globally.

Undertakings in Japanese politics

Japan has been trying to tackle the issue. In 2013, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that he would cultivate the power of women to spur economic growth. Abe’s government holds the World Assembly for Women every year, which invites top female leaders from around the world to exchange views on various topics related to the empowerment of women.

In 2016, a law aimed at enhancing the role of women in the workplace was enacted. It requires the government to come up with policies offering women more opportunities for recruitment and promotion. It also requires the central and local governments and large companies to set numerical targets for female recruits and managers.

In May, lawmakers unanimously approved legislation to increase the number of female legislators, the first of its kind. It requires political parties to balance the number of male and female candidates in an election. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared he would make Japan a place where "all women can shine."

The Reality

There are few female ministers in the Japanese Cabinet. The peak was 5 in September 2014. Now, there is only one.

The government has aimed to raise the proportion of female candidates in national elections to 30% by 2020. There have been 4 national elections since Abe returned to power. As for lower house elections, the percentage of female candidates was 16.6% in 2014 and 17.7% in 2017. In the upper house elections, it was 24.2% in 2013 and 24.7% in 2016. Unless political parties put up more female candidates, the number of female politicians will not increase.

The following graph shows the ratio of female candidates in each party in the 2017 lower house election. There is only one year left to achieve the numerical targets of female candidates. There will be an upper house election in 2019. One of the points of focus will be the number of female candidates each party puts up.

Women in business

The government has found that the percentage of female executives in Japan's listed companies rose from 1.2% in 2006 to 3.7% in 2017. According to the Gender Equality Bureau, 43.8% of workers in Japan are female. That's around the same level as other industrialized countries such as Sweden, the US and Germany. But when it comes to women in management positions, the ratio is quite low. For Japan, it's 13%, while it's 39% in Sweden, 43% in the US and 29% in Germany. The government aims to raise the ratio of females in management roles to 25% by 2020.

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Tackling the issue

A new NPO, WEConnect International Japan, held its first annual conference in Tokyo on December 5th. The officials explained that there is a tendency for businessmen to distrust female executives or even look down on them. So they say female business owners face hurdles. The group aims to provide female business owners with new opportunities. For example, it issues certification for companies which purchase goods or services from female-owned businesses. It says this will allow the corporations to show that they value diversity. Similar movements are going on across the world.

Setsu Suzuki, project director of WEConnect International Japan, says that the certification will also help boost companies' profits, and will lead to more jobs for women. She adds that major firms are gradually realizing the importance of female viewpoints in business, so she is calling for them to use women-owned companies in their supply chains. The Japanese government also gives awards to companies which are actively promoting women into management roles every year. WEConnect International Japan, held its first annual conference in Tokyo on December 5th. Next year, local elections and an upper house election are scheduled in Japan, and some opposition parties are trying to boost their female candidate ratios to over 30%. It remains to be seen which area will be able to tackle gender inequality faster -- politics or business.

Question 6: What do you think we can do to increase womyn’s position in Japan and ultimately the Gender Gap Index?

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What is this ranking?

Source: 2018 World Economic Forumhttp://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2018.pdf

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SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

Country

Overall

rank

Overall

scoreRwand

a6 0.804

Namibia

10 0.789

South Africa

19 0.755

Burundi

31 0.741

Uganda

43 0.724

Zimbabwe

47 0.721

Mozambique

49 0.721

Botswana

55 0.715

Cameroon

57 0.714

Tanzania

71 0.704

Cape Verde

72 0.702

Kenya 76 0.700Eswati

ni80 0.694

Lesotho

81 0.693

Madagascar

84 0.691

Ghana 89 0.688Seneg

al94 0.682

Liberia 96 0.681Mauriti

us109 0.663

Japan 110 0.662Malawi 112 0.662Sierra Leone*

114 0.661

Guinea 116 0.656Ethiopi

a117 0.656

Benin 118 0.654Gambia, The

120 0.642

Angola 125 0.633Burkina Faso

129 0.6288

Côte d'Ivoir

e

131 0.6271

Nigeria 133 0.6207

Togo* 134 0.618

East Asia and Pacfic

Country Overall rank

Overall

scoreNew

Zealand7 0.801

Philippines

8 0.799

Lao PDR 26 0.748Australia 39 0.730Mongolia 58 0.714Singapor

e67 0.707

Thailand 73 0.702Viet Nam

77 0.698

Indonesia

85 0.691

Myanmar

88 0.690

Brunei Darussal

am

90 0.686

Cambodia

93 0.683

Malaysia 101 0.676China 103 0.673

Fiji 106 0.669Japan 110 0.662Korea, Rep.

115 0.657

Timor-Leste

124 0.638