Record High Number of Female University Students and Faculty Members in Japan

The number of female faculty members in Japan at national, public, and private universities was 50,975 as of May 1, 2022, a record high. This was the finding of a survey published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The percentage of female faculty members also reached a record high of 26.7%.

The current number of female faculty members reflects the steady increase over the past 50 years compared to the 6,829 in 1972, when women accounted for just 8.4% of faculty members, and to the 12,380 in 1992, when they accounted for 9.6%.

The percentage of female teachers was 44.3% in junior high schools (up 0.3 points year on year), 33.1% in high schools (up 0.2 points), and 62.6% in special needs schools (up 0.3 points), each a record high. Meanwhile, the percentage of female teachers in elementary schools was 62.4%.

The number of undergraduates in Japan is 2,632,000 (up 6,700 from the previous year), including 1,201,000 female students (up 4,500 from the previous year), both record highs. Women accounted for 45.6% of all undergraduates, maintaining the record high from the previous year.

The number of graduate students was 262,000, up 4,700 from the previous year.

Elementary and Junior High Schools Closing

Meanwhile, the number of students enrolled in compulsory elementary and junior high schools decreased to the lowest point since statistics were first kept in 1948. The number of elementary school students decreased by 72,000 year on year, to 6,151,000, while the number of junior high school students decreased by 24,000 to 3,205,000. Although there was a slight increase in the number of students attending combined elementary and junior high schools or in combined junior high and high schools, the overall trend starkly reflects the serious decline in the nation’s number of births.

The number of elementary schools nationwide decreased by 175 year on year to 19,161, while the number of junior high schools decreased by 64 to 10,012.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)