Thread by @OnTakahashi

【Sexism in Japan】

In Japan, girls are destroying boys in HS entrance exams. So much that schools are implementing "affirmative action" to allow boys to pass with lower scores.

In a test with a maximum score of 1000, guys can pass while scoring 243 points lower.

1/15

https://twitter.com/YahooNewsTopics/status/1397430175034339333

If the "passing grade" was the same between boys and girls, there won't be a lot of boys in the top schools. So schools started to adopt "gender-based passing grades".

When first introduced, 170 out of 184 schools (90%+) required girls to have a higher passing grade.

2/15

Here is a breakdown of the passing grade difference between girls and boys back then. (Girls need to score higher for the same position)

1) Over 100 points: 27 schools
2) 50 ~ 99: 41
3) 40 ~ 49: 31
4) 30 ~ 39: 27
5) 20 ~ 29: 26
6) 10 ~ 19: 8
7) Less than 9: 10

3/15

One of the schools listed in 1) had a minimum passing score difference of 426 points!!! Crazy!

Obviously this was bad, so schools tried to make it fairer for girls. However, even after adjustments, 153 out of 184 (80%) schools still require girls to score higher.

4/15

This is the latest breakdown of the passing grade difference between girls and boys. (Girls need to score higher for the same position)

1) Over 100 points: 5 schools
2) 50 ~ 99: 14
3) 40 ~ 49: 5
4) 30 ~ 39: 13
5) 20 ~ 29: 34
6) 10 ~ 19: 36
7) Less than 9: 46

5/15

While it looks like the required score gap is decreasing, one of the schools listed in 1) has a minimum passing score difference of 243 points.

Mainichi newspaper was only able to obtain this data from schools under the agreement to keep school names hidden.

6/15

The worst thing about this is, more than 20 girls were rejected from schools for not scoring high enough, even when they scored higher than their male counterparts.

There was a similar scandal a few years back for medical school acceptances for JP men.

7/15

So much of Japanese society is based on "where you went to school". Which high school or college you went to can determine your career. (Many companies automatically reject resumes from "lower" colleges)

Unlike America, JP doesn't have "waiter to CEO" success stories.

8/15

Added to that, women in Japan face an unbreakable glass ceiling. Maybe not "unbreakable", but it's like 6 feet thick and reinforced with transparent Kevlar. Many dudes in Japan think they are better, simply because of all the opportunities society presents to them.

9/15

And this is reinforced by the media. It's always the same "breadwinner salaryman husband", while women are expected to just be a baby making machine.

And god forbid if a man changes a diaper. Society lauds them for being so "helpful" (Ikumen). A topic for another time.

10/15

Maybe if we got rid of the "affirmative action for boys" in high school entrance exams, and made it solely based on merit, the JP workplace, academia, politics, and society will start to look very very different.

11/15

While affirmative action is important for marginalised groups, and those from households with different financial situations, "Japanese dudes" are far from being a marginalised group in Japan, where like 90+% of the population is Japanese.

12/15

If institutions were fairer, there will be more women in STEM, and women won't be "pushed" to "traditionally female subjects" like the Arts and Languages.

(Yes, in JP, majoring in a foreign language was/is considered a "hobby women pick up during college"). Big eyeroll.

13/15

Unrelated, but, because of this shoehorning of women into languages, some of the best translators of English to Japanese media content are women.

Most famous English films, many Sony exclusive AAA games, are translated by women. And they DOMINATE their field.

14/15

If JP women were given the chance to excel early on and given the CHOICE to study where and what they want to, instead of preference given to incompetent dudes, JP will be a much better place.

Sure as hell would be doing a better job with Covid than the current fuckery.

END

Also in 2018 a medical school in Tokyo were falsifying female student's grades to make the men look better and ruining women's career chances because they didn't want women to enter the industry, only to "quit later to start a family".

theguardian.com/world/2018/aug…

P.S.

It's rampant institutional sexism like this which make women in Japan not want to have kids. But the moment they decide not to have kids, old dude politicians call them "selfish" for not fulfilling their duty to society by pumping out kids.

Cont

japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/06/2…

And if that wasn't enough, politicians point the finger at "The Gays" for the reason of Japan's declining population.

Using phrases like "morally unacceptable" and "biologically obligated to preserve the species" in reference to LGBT folks.

https://twitter.com/nmcmnc/status/1395397039937130497

I don't have anything to promote (Most of my work is with NSFW content which isn't exactly the same crowd as this thread's audience), but pride month is coming up soon.

A lot of Japanese LGBT organizations and voices have started to tweet in English. Listen to them!

Japan produces hundreds of BL (Boys Love) and Yuri (Lesbian) manga each year, which makes people think that queerness is accepted in JP. That's far from the truth. Homophobia/transphobia is everywhere and JP has a veeeery long way to go, while travelling at a snail's pace.

Also, Japan ranks like 120th-ish in the world for gender equality. Some of the sexism women face are blatant like this entrance exam case, but many are "invisible". JP women tend to always be cheerful and friendly to foreigners, and on the media and manga/anime etc.

But that's a very small and rose-tinted window to gaze at Japan.

"Living comfortably" is different to "being equal". Sexism in Japan is everywhere and Feminism, while gaining traction, still faces pushback everyday from those who are comfortable in their positions.

It's okay to admire Japan and be amazed by it's technological advancements and anime culture etc.

But do know that what you see as an outsider is but a small part of life in Japan. And that behind the cheery friendliness of JP people, there is a society that is an absolute mess.

If you want to keep up to date with accounts that tweet about gender inequality/ LGBT/ general shittiness that happens in Japan, these are some accounts you can follow. If people have others to add, please do so.

@/UnseenJapanSite
@/motokorich
@/writerofscratch

Finally, I tweet about JP social & political issues like once in a blue moon (Super moon yesterday I guess).

90% of my tweets are NSFW RTs and the remaining few are about video games or baseball.

If you followed me for more political takes, you might be disappointed 😅