Panelists: Jennifer Yphantides, Lecturer at Soka University Kristie Collins, Associate professor and Department Head for the English and Liberal Arts Program at Reitaku University Reiko Yoshihara, Professor at Nihon University

1. Narratives
of Female
Academics
in Japanese
Higher
Education
• Jennifer Yphantides, EdD
• Kristie Collins, PhD
• Reiko Yoshihara, EdD

2. J E N N I F E R Y P H A N T I D E S
S O K A U N I V E R S I T Y, J A P A N

3. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Gender Imbalance in Japanese Universities
Global Body of Literature
Japan not yet Included

4. STUDY FOUNDATIONS
Theoretical framework
• Intersectionality
Literature review
• Problem and solution
Methodology
• Narrative

5. FINDINGS
Theme One: Chance
Accidental Arrivals
Random Progression
Interruptions

6. DISCUSSION
Chance
Personal Characteristics
Networking
Escaping the Sticky Floor
Combining Work and Family

7. FINDINGS
Theme Two: Building
Education and Professionalization
Being Foreign
Being Female
Support Systems

8. DISCUSSION
Building
Non-linear Career Trajectories
Leadership Development on the Job
Race and Gender
Mentorship

9. FINDINGS
Theme Three: Success
Role Making
Paying Back

10. DISCUSSION
Success
Inclusion
Emotional Intelligence
Culture of Service

11. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Improving Professional Development Programs
More Diversity and Inclusion
Combining Research with Pastoral Care of Students

12. Waiting with Bated Breath: My
Journey to Securing Tenure
Kristie Collins, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Department Chair
Faculty of Foreign Studies
Reitaku University

13. Today’s talk:
• a brief recap of my long and winding road to tenure
• the foreign factor
• the female factor
• insider tips

14. Different times…

15. How to get tenure (in the good old days…)
1. Teaching excellence
2. Scholarly research
3. Community service
… balance the three, excel at two, right?!

16. How nationality and gender informed my own
journey to tenure in Japan…

17. The Foreign Factor
“Unfortunately, as foreign teachers are well aware, Japan operates a
discriminatory system regarding foreign tertiary employees known as
the ‘revolving door.’ Whilst Japanese staff tend to be awarded tenure
after some years’ service, most foreigners are restricted to limited term
contracts […] Moreover, many universities maintain a cut-off period for
foreign staff meaning that after a certain number of years their
contracts will no longer be renewed.”
(Burton, 2010, pp. 247-248)

18. “Internationalization” and “Globalization”
PR Jargon
• Initiative titles used for “Top Global University Japan” institutions
(MEXT, 2014)
“A Leading University Cultivating Global Leaders from Kumamoto” (Kumamoto
University)
“Toyo Global Diamonds: Becoming an Asian hub university for global leaders”
(Toyo University)
“Waseda Goes Global: A Plan to Build a Worldwide Academic Network that is
Open, Dynamic, and Diverse” (Waseda University)

19. The Female Factor
“Women in Japan are not only underrepresented in areas like engineering
but also in academia, as well as in law and politics. These data are confirmed
by an analysis conducted by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with Times
Higher Education. Based on data for 2010, female researchers account for
merely 12.7% at research-intensive universities in Japan, which is very low by
international comparison. Japan is one step behind Taiwan where only 21.3%
of the faculty of universities, are women. According to various gender
indexes, Finland, Australia and New Zealand show a lower gender gap:
between 40% and 45% of faculty members at universities in these countries
are women. In the United States, Canada, Spain, France and Sweden, this
number is between 35 and 40%.“
(Assmann, 2014, Women in Academia, Law and Politics section, paras. 1-2)

20. Distribution of international faculty by gender and
sector (Huang, F., 2017)
Figure 4 Distribution of international faculty by gender and sector

21. Insider Tips…
1) Find mentors who will champion you
2) Get active in professional development circles
3) Make an effort to learn Japanese
4) Devote time to self-care
5) … and don’t forget to breathe

22. Coming soon…
“Women in Japanese Academia: Voices of Foreign
Female University Teachers” (Candlin & Mynard)
Chapter topics include:
… securing tenure; female administrators; maternity leave; professional
development; choosing graduate programs; teachers from non-center
countries; racialized identities; harassment; managing literary lives
while teaching; teaching LGBTQ issues; and so much more!

23. References
Assmann, S. (2014). Gender Equality in Japan: The Equal Employment Opportunity Law Revisited,
The Asia-Pacific Journal, 12 (45, No. 2). Retrieved from https://apjjf.org/2014/12/45/Stephanie-
Assmann/4211.html.
Burton, S. (2010). The Ivory Tower and the Waiting Circle: Why British and Japanese Universities
Have Declined in the 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Bunkyo Gakuin Junior
College Bulletin No. 10 (2010), pp. 241-253.
Huang, F. (2017a). Who are they and why did they move to Japan? An analysis of international
faculty at universities, Centre for Global Higher Education working paper series, 27, pp. 1-24.
Retrieved from http://www.researchcghe.org/perch/resources/publications/wp27.pdf.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Japan. Selection for the
FY2014 Top Global University Project. Retrieved from
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/houdou/26/09/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2014/10/07/1352218_02.pdf.

24. Thank you for your time and attention!

25. The Hidden Emotion of The Academic
Precariat: The Narrative of a Japanese
Female Part-time Instructor in a
Neoliberal University Context
Reiko Yoshihara (Nihon University)
September 18, 2019
Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS)

26. Neoliberalism in the World
• Globalization with competitiveness and individualism since the 1970s
(Harvey, 2005; Giroux, 2008/2009; Standing, 2016; Steger & Roy,
2010)
• “The Precariat” (Standing, 2016)
Insecurity of labor-market, employment, job, work, skill-reproduction,
income, and representation
 “The precariatized mind” (anger, anomie, anxiety, alienation)

27. Neoliberalism in Higher Education
• Raising tuition
• Entering into research partnerships with industry
• Hiring limited-term contract instructors and a large
number of part-time instructors
What am I going to do?

28. The Ratio of Part-Timers to Full-Timers in Japanese Universities
(学校基本調査, School Basic Data, MEXT）
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2016
Percentage of Part-
Timers
27.2 35.7 39.0 42.1 47.7 51.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percentage of Part-Timers

29. What is Happening in Japanese Universities
In 1996, under the name of teacher mobility and young scholar
development, MEXT encouraged universities to introduce the contract
instructor system.
 A large number of full-time, limited term contract instructors
In 2013, under the revision of the Labor Contract Law, any workers who
worked for more than 5 years can get permanent status.
 Universities give part-time instructors a five-year (10-year)
maximum contract with no renewal possible afterwards

30. Naomi (a pseudonym)
= a mid-30s part-time university instructor in Japan
with a 8-year teaching experience
Yoshihara, R. (2018). Accidental Teachers: The Journeys
of Six Japanese Women from the
Corporate Workplace into English
Language Teaching, Journal of
Language, Identity & Education,
17(6), 357-370.

31. Naomi’s “Precarious” Situations
(1) Lack of research funding
“That year, the (graduate) colloquium was held at the Osaka campus,
not the Tokyo campus. …I wanted to go but I couldn’t afford it.”
(Interview, April 29 2016)
“I usually borrow books (from a university library). …I don’t buy them.”
(Interview, October 3 2015).

32. Naomi’s “Precarious” Situations
(2) Teaching classes
“I think part-time university teachers are often asked to teach
repeaters’ English classes. …If we (part-timers) were asked to teach
many of these classes, we would get tired of teaching and feel very
discouraged.” (Email communication, May 1 2016)

33. Naomi’s “Precarious” Situations
(3) Fewer tenure-track positions
“(Although I applied for tenure-track positions,) I failed so many times. I
thought I wouldn’t be suitable as a teacher. When I talked to one
teacher who got a tenured position, he said, “It’s very usual. I sent my
CV to about a hundred universities. …Would I have to send my CV to
hundreds of universities like him? How long would it take for me to get
a tenured position?” (Email communication, April 9 2016)

34. Naomi’s Desire to Marry
(1) Naomi’s internalized gender ideology
“If I had married and had a child, I might have continued to teach
English as a part-time university instructor.” (Email communication,
April 9 2016)
“If I got a tenured position, I don’t think there would be a desperate
feeling to get married like now.” (Interview, June 23 2017)

35. Naomi’s Desire to Marry
(2) Student’s gendered discourse
Naomi: It was almost five years ago. I was asked by a student, “How old
are you? Are you married?” When I told him my age, he said, “Yikes.”
Reiko: Something like “you’re an old maid” or “you’re already over 30.”
Naomi: Yes. He said, “Almost 30 years old. It’s undesirable.”
(Interview, October 3 2015)

36. Concluding Thoughts
Naomi’s professional development
Neoliberal university contexts
(e.g., no research funds, job insecurity, fewer tenure-
track positions)
Japanese cultural gender
ideology

37. Thank you for listening!
Reiko Yoshihara
yoshihara.reiko@nihon-u.ac.jp

38. Further reading
• The Positioning and Making of Female Professors: Pushing
Career Advancement Open
• Editors: Rowena Murray, Denise Mifsud
• Palgrave
• Out in November
Cosmopolitan Perspectives on Academic Leadership in
Higher Education
Editors: Feng Su, Margaret Wood
Bloomsbury