Women Physicians in Academic Medicine of Japan

Abstract

Positive action"Positive provision of opportunities for either women or men within necessary limits to redress gender disparities in terms of formation of a society where both women and men shall be given equal opportunities to participate voluntarily in activities in all fields as equal partners in society" (Article 2, The Basic Act for a Gender Equal Society) ■ Target of "30% by 2020"With the aim of achieving the target of "increasing the share of women in leadership positions to at least 30% by 2020 in all fields of society" ("the target of 30%" set in 2003), numerical targets for women's participation were set in the Third Basic Plan for Gender Equality for a wide range of fields, including politics, national and local governments, private sector, education and research. The Fourth Basic Plan shows the highly ambitious targets that could be achieved if all-out efforts are made in each field for the expansion of women's social participation. The plan also includes a target regarding the layer of women in previous stage who will assume leadership positions in the future.

Quality of Life and Working Conditions of Hand Surgeons—A National Survey

“…It is also well known that gender has a complex impact on work–life integration [ 2 ]. Akazawa et al argue for support systems, such as education systems, mentorships and promotions, to enable female doctors in academic positions [ 16 ]. A mentorship program for young female residents has been recently introduced by the University of St. Gallen in cooperation with multiple university hospitals in Switzerland, fostering leading positions at hospitals or scientific careers for young women.…”

Diversity in Japanese Medical Research and Researchers

“…Although Japanese populational and clinical studies typically report results consisting only of Japanese participants, as Japanese society becomes more diverse in race and ethnicity, they should also shed light on non-Japanese patients. Steps should be taken to eliminate the gender gap among researchers (4) , as well as provide young researchers with the opportunity to publish their work (5) . In addition to encouraging Japanese studies to be done from innovative viewpoints, new diversity among researchers and subjects would also help to perceive the medical needs of both healthcare staff and the general community from a number of perspectives.…”