Japanese women researchers: Are they active? – Trends in numbers of members in JSAP

To investigate the activities of Japanese women researchers over time, we examined the numbers of men and women who entered and left the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) from 1980 to 2016. We found that women’s membership rates decreased more than men’s for members in their 30s and 40s, probably due to life events such as childbirth or child care. This result implies the severe circumstances women researchers in Japan face to survive professionally. This result corresponds to the recent survey of women researchers who have difficulty in holding on to research positions in Japan.