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This year's entrance address at the University of Tokyo, Japan's top university, has garnered significant attention from Japanese society.
The speaker is Ms. Chizuko Ueno, a prominent figure in the women's rights movement and a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Her address not only serves as a warning about the deeply rooted gender inequality in Japanese society but also offers encouragement to the elite students who excel in competitive exams, reminding us of the spirit of equality among Japan's intellectuals. In today's world, where neoliberal ideas have permeated every corner of society, her words resonate as a powerful call to awaken our humanity.
Full introduction.
Congratulations to the students on their enrollment.
You all have come here after winning through fierce competition.
You probably have no doubts about the fairness of the entrance exams. If they were unfair, you would surely feel outraged. However, last year, issues of unfairness in the entrance exams at Tokyo Medical University were exposed, revealing discrimination against female students and repeat examinees. Subsequently, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology conducted an investigation into 81 medical schools across the country, and the results showed that the difficulty of admission for female students, compared to their male counterparts, had an average acceptance rate that was1.2times higher for males.
The Tokyo Medical University has a ratio of1.29times, with Juntendo University having the highest at1.67times. Private institutions like Showa University, Nihon University, and Keio University are also included. Below1.0, meaning that universities where female students tend to score higher include national medical schools in regional areas such as Tottori University, Shimane University, Tokushima University, and Hirosaki University. Additionally, the University of Tokyo's Science3category is1.03, which, while below average, is still above1.0. How should we interpret this number? Statistics are very important because our thinking is based on statistical foundations.
Is it because boys perform better that girls find it harder to pass? The head of the Ministry of Education, who announced the results of this national medical school survey, stated: "(Aside from medical schools) there are no departments or fields where boys have an advantage; in both the sciences and humanities, it is often the case that girls have the upper hand."
In other words, the admission difficulty for female students is below1, except for the medical school, which exceeds1. This requires a special explanation of the reasons behind it.
In fact, various data indicate that female examinees have higher deviation scores than their male counterparts. First, to avoid repeating a year, girls generally tend to leave some room when choosing their preferences. Second, the proportion of female freshmen at the University of Tokyo has long failed to surpass the "20% barrier." This year, it is only 18.1%, which is even lower than last year.
From a statistical perspective, the normal distribution of deviation values shows no gender differences, meaning that female applicants to the University of Tokyo are more outstanding than their male counterparts. Third,4year university enrollment rates also exhibit gender differences.
2016The results of the basic school survey indicate that4year university enrollment rates for boys are55.6%, which is7percentage points higher than girls at48.2%. This gap is not due to academic performance, but rather the traditional belief among parents that "sons go to university, daughters go to junior college," reflecting a preference for sons.
Recently, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai visited Japan, advocating for the necessity of women's education.
Is this important for Pakistan, and is it completely irrelevant to Japanese society?
"Just a girl" or "only a girl"—this kind of thinking dampens aspirations and holds them back, which is referred to as the "cooling down effect on aspiration."When Malala's father was asked, "How do you educate your daughter?" he replied, "I always make sure not to break my daughter's wings." As he said, many girls have had their wings, which they once had as children, broken.
So, what kind of environment awaits the male and female students who have worked hard to get into the University of Tokyo? When it comes to social events with other universities, Tokyo University boys are quite popular.
However, I heard from a girl at the University of Tokyo that when someone asks her at a social event, "Which school are you from?" she replies, "I am from the University of Tokyo..." Why? She said that if she simply says "Tokyo University," people tend to treat her with a certain distance.
Why are boys proud to be students at the University of Tokyo, while girls feel embarrassed? This happens because for men, their value is aligned with good grades, whereas for women, there is a distortion between their value and academic performance.
From a young age, girls are expected to be "cute." But what does it really mean to be "cute"? This value, which involves being cherished, chosen, and protected, carries an implication of never posing a threat to others. As a result, girls often hide their academic achievements and their identity as students of the University of Tokyo.
There was an incident involving a group of five male students and graduate students from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering5who collectively raped a female student from a private university.
Perpetrators3male students were expelled,2students were suspended.Inspired by this incident, author Kaoruko Himeno wrote a novel titled "Because She's Not Very Bright," and last year held a forum on this theme at the University of Tokyo.
"Because she is not smart," is a statement that the perpetrator actually said during the interrogation process. Students can read this book to understand how Tokyo University students are perceived in society.
I heard that at the University of Tokyo, there are still male clubs that effectively do not allow female students from the university to join, only permitting female students from other universities. Such clubs existed half a century ago when I was a student, and the fact that they still exist today shocks me. This March, a warning was issued in the name of the Vice President and Director of Gender Equality at the University of Tokyo, pointing out that the exclusion of female students contradicts the principles of equality outlined in the University of Tokyo Charter.3March
The school where students have lived and studied until now is a society that appears to be equal on the surface. In the competition for academic performance, there is no difference between genders. However, from the moment they enter university, hidden gender discrimination begins to emerge. Once they enter society, more blatant gender discrimination becomes rampant. Unfortunately, the University of Tokyo is one such example.
The percentage of female undergraduate students is about20%, while in master's programs it rises to25%, and in doctoral programs it reaches30.7%. However, in subsequent academic careers, the percentage of female teaching assistants is18.2%, for associate professors it is11.6%, and for professors it drops to7.8%. This figure is even lower than the percentage of female members of parliament. Additionally, among the15deans, there is only1female, and there has never been a female president of the University of Tokyo.
The academic field that conducts this research was born40years ago, known as "Women's Studies." It later became known as "Gender Studies (genderstudies). When I was a student, Women's Studies did not exist. Since it didn't exist, I created it.
Women's studies originated outside of universities, but have now made their way onto campuses.25years ago, when I started at the University of Tokyo, I was the third female faculty member in the Faculty of Letters.3I took on the role of teaching women's studies from the podium. It was only after I began researching women's studies that I realized there were unresolved mysteries everywhere in society.
Why is it that men are expected to work outside the home while women manage the household? What is the role of a housewife? What did people use for menstruation before the invention of sanitary pads and tampons? Has there been homosexuality in Japanese history? ... No one has investigated these questions, so there is no prior research available.
This is why researching anything in this field makes you a "pioneer" and the "first" in your area. Now at the University of Tokyo, studies by housewives, as well as research on shoujo manga and sexualitysexuality, can also lead to degrees, and this is precisely because we are breaking new ground and striving to achieve it.
What drives me is an insatiable curiosity and a deep indignation towards social injustice.
There are also "entrepreneurs" in academia. Alongside fields that are gradually declining, there are vibrant areas of study. Women's studies was once an "entrepreneur" in this sense. Not only women's studies, but also new fields like environmental studies, information studies, and disability studies have emerged. All of these have arisen in response to the changing demands of the times.
I want to emphasize that the University of Tokyo is a university that embraces change and diversity.
Hiring someone like me and allowing me to stand here is proof of that. Additionally, the University of Tokyo has the first professor of Korean descent, Mr. Kang Sang-jung, among national universities, as well as the first professor with a high school diploma, Mr. Tadao Ando. Furthermore, there is Professor Tomo Fukushima, who has the triple disabilities of being blind, deaf, and mute.
Students have come here through rigorous selection. The government spends5 millionyen each year on every student at the University of Tokyo. In the next4years, you will experience an exceptional educational environment, which I will help to create as your instructor.
Students believe that being here is the result of their hard work. However, as I mentioned at the beginning regarding the unfair entrance exam incident, what awaits you is a society where even hard work may not guarantee fair rewards.
Also, don't forget that the belief that "hard work will pay off" is not solely due to your own efforts, but rather shaped by the environment you are in. The reason you can think that "effort leads to rewards" today is because your environment encourages you, supports you, and acknowledges and appreciates what you have accomplished.
In this world, there are people who work hard but see no rewards, those who want to try but don't know where to start, and those who push themselves too hard and suffer physically and mentally. There are also those who are stifled by thoughts like "What are you worth?" and "What can I do?" before they even begin to make an effort.
Please don't just use your efforts for your own success.
Please use your superior environment and talents not to look down on others, but to help those who have not been blessed.
Do not be aloof; acknowledge your weaknesses and support each other to thrive together.
Feminist studies emerged from the women's movement known as "feminism," but the philosophy of feminism does not advocate for women to want to be like men or to replace them; rather, it asserts that the vulnerable should be respected for who they are.
What awaits you is an unpredictable, unknown world.
Until now, you have pursued knowledge with correct answers, but what awaits you in the future is a world filled with questions that have no right answers.
Why do universities need diversity? Because new values are born from the friction and collision between systems and cultures. Don't limit yourselves to campus; the University of Tokyo has mechanisms to support studying abroad, international exchanges, and addressing regional issues within the country.
I hope you pursue the unknown and soar into the outside world.
Do not fear cultural differences. As long as there are people living somewhere, you can survive anywhere. I hope you possess the wisdom to thrive in environments where prestigious degrees from the University of Tokyo hold no value, in any setting, in any world, even if you become a refugee.
I firmly believe that the value of studying at university lies not in mastering existing knowledge, but in learning existing knowledge to create unprecedented knowledge. The knowledge that nurtures knowledge is called "metaknowledge." It is the mission of universities to help students acquire "metaknowledge."
Welcome to the University of Tokyo.
2019April 4, 12
NPO"Chairperson of the Women's Action Network"
Chikuko Ueno