Gender Equality Program
‘If you change, people around you and ultimately the future will change.’
To bring the number of female researchers to over 30%, the average for western countries
RIKEN has been actively promoting and developing a gender equality program. RIKEN, the only comprehensive research institution in the field of natural science in Japan, has been engaging in a program for several years to raise the ratio of its female researchers to 30%, the western standard.
As of the October 1, 2008, the number of women of RIKEN was 1,150 out of a total of 3,100 full time staff, which represented more than 30%. However, this number includes both research and administrative positions. If we look at the percentage of the female researches, it is still less than 20%, though it has been increasing recently. Ms.Yumi Tani of the Career Support Office in the Personnel Division explains the situation as follows.
’Wako Campus has a daycare center and Yokohama Institute will also have one in 2009. We offer full maternity leave. My office has been working to publicize these benefits to our staff and, to encourage them to take advantage of them. Our efforts have started to bear fruit’.
As part of the information activities, the office has created and distributed the ‘RIKEN Handbook for Parents’ with a list of the kinds of help offered by RIKEN, as well as organizing a parent meeting called ‘Wakai’ so that the parents can meet and exchange ideas. The understanding and cooperation of supervisors and colleagues are essential for employees to achieve a good work-life balance regardless of their gender. The first step is for staff to feel comfortable about telling their boss that they want to take a maternity or childcare leave. The same applies to taking leave to care for elderly family members.
The office has also been creating a system for listening to the actual needs of employees. RIKEN established the Gender Equality Promotion Committee in June 2006 to discuss ideas, investigate solutions and make suggestions. In April 2008, the Committee expanded its activities by setting up sub-committees in the Tsukuba, Harima, Yokohama and Kobe institutes.
Create an environment in which staff support each other to care for their families
The RIKEN’s action plan based on the government’s ‘Act for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation’, achieved its first goals, set for April 2005 to March 2008, and acquired the national certification as an ‘employer meeting the requirements’ in January 2009. RIKEN meets the seven requirements, including child care leave taken by male employees, more than 70% of new mothers taking child care leave, as well as allowing child care leave or shorter working hours for those with a child between 3 and 6 years of age.
Tani continued, ‘To achieve gender equality, it is important to change the awareness of the organization as a whole, especially the involvement of the top level. The results of our activities may not be seen immediately and cannot be achieved by just pouring money into the program. The first step everybody can take is to try and see the situation with his or her eyes. A small act such as changing a diaper will make you realize how hard child-rearing is. Change your attitude just a little bit. I want the staff to fully use the provisions that RIKEN offers. Step by step we can realize a society in which everybody feels comfortable with their lifestyle’.
Common ground between gender equality and environmental problems
Gender equality and environmental issues naturally share common ground. For example, one may become interested in the safety of toys or food through child rearing, or think about the future environment in which a child will live. Catalysts for thinking about the environment are found everywhere in everyday life. To change one’s viewpoint slightly, understand the present situation correctly and aim for a society in which everybody feels comfortable, that’s certainly the way to go. Ms. Tani concluded, ‘Whether it’s gender equality or the environmental issue, the problems can’t be solved overnight. But if you change yourself, the people around you, and ultimately, the future, will change’.
