How Do Physics and Engineering Faculties Evaluate Direct Affirmative Hiring for Women in Japan?

Abstract

Compared with other high-income countries, the ratio of women among all researchers is particularly low in Japan. In academic STEM fields, especially physics and engineering, this figure is even worse. Against this backdrop, Japan’s top-ranked national universities are implementing direct affirmative hiring (DAHW) for women researchers, with the aim of mitigating gender imbalance in STEM fields. However, this rapidly emerging hiring policy is caught between two incompatible institutional logics: diversity promotion and meritocracy. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and abductive thematic analysis, this research examines the reasoning STEM faculties deploy in justifying their support of or opposition to DAHW, and the potential consequences of DAHW for women. Overall, the analysis reveals stronger support for meritocracy than for diversity promotion, and that the policy increases negative effects, such as low self-esteem and discriminatory experiences, for women. Based on the analysis, we recommend that academic communities put in more effort not only to increase the pool of female researchers but also to actively seek out potential job applicants.