International Women's Day

 

I am Takao Someya, Dean of the School of Engineering. March 8th is International Women's Day. The theme this year is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world." As this theme suggests, the strength of female leaders, who are steering through these difficult times threatened by the pandemic, is receiving global recognition. Our Graduate School of Engineering is no exception: Female researchers are leading the world’s academic fields, and female students are preparing to become leaders of the next generation. Needless to say, there are no gender discrepancies in the world of research and education. We believe that innovation can be created by researchers with diverse expertise who respect, cooperate, and work hard with each other. The pandemic has revealed that women tend to have more demanding roles during important life events, such as childbirth, childcare, and nursing. In the field of research and education, we are committed to raising awareness of gender equality and creating an environment where all motivated people can continue to work with satisfaction, regardless of their gender, age, or nationality. As a starting point, a system will be launched this spring to ensure a smooth career continuation for female non-tenured faculty members and researchers, who have given birth or have spent time caring for a child, when returning to their duties. We will continue to listen carefully to the voices of all our members and actively promote diversity. Thank you for your understanding and support.