ごあいさつ・基本方針

Message from the director

Support women’s success based on our basic principles

　Nara Women’s University (NWU) was promoted to a national university from the Nara Women’s Higher Normal School in May 1949, and now it has become three faculties and one graduate school. Since then, NWU has been making continuous efforts to fulfill the responsibilities as a training institution for female human resources. In November 2000, the basic principles were enacted, and the first fundamental principle was “To cultivate human resources that will lead to a gender-equal society. Towards the university that disseminates information for the empowerment of women”. Based on this basic principle, NWU has promoted efforts toward gender equality in education, research, and social contribution so far, and has supported women’s activities inside and outside the campus.

Establishment of the Organization for the Promotion of Gender Equality

Environmental improvement for fostering female human resources

　The Gender Equality Promotion Office was founded in November 2005. In addition to responding to and cooperating with activities in local governments, a system for comprehensively summarizing the activities in the university has been prepared. In FY2006, NWU applied for a Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology and was adopted. The project was called “Program to support research activities of female researchers”, and promoted improvement of women’s educational research environment from both sides of hardware and software by making “Lifelong support” and “Mutual-assistance” as keywords. In this project, we worked to support education and research activities balanced with childcare and nursing care, support for young female researchers’ career development, promotion of training for next generation female researchers, and awareness raising activities for gender equality. In FY2010, NWU got adopted for the project “Supporting Positive Activities for Female Researchers”. Based on this, promotion of the recruitment of female faculty in science and engineering field was improved, and the ratio of the overall women faculty as of May 2012 was over 30%. An increase in women faculty is an increase in role models for students and leads to a good cycle of training female human resources. Furthermore, NWU applied for Human Resource Development Program for Science and Technology “Program to promote postdoctoral internship” and got adopted in FY2011. With this triggered, we clearly indicated our support stance towards career path formation of female postdoctoral fellows.

　In December 2012, the name of the “Gender Equality Promotion Office” was revised to the “Organization for the Promotion of Gender Equality”, and its rules were established. Furthermore, the “Steering Committee of the Organization for the Promotion of Gender Equality” was founded and the organizational regulations were made as well.

　As activities related to the third mid-term goal/plan commenced in FY2016, the Organization for the Promotion of Gender Equality integrated the “Office of Mutual-Assistance and Support for Women Researchers” and the “Office of Reform Promotion in the Training System for Women Researchers” to become the “Office of Diversity in Research Environment” to better support women researchers. As a result, the Organization for the Promotion of Gender Equality had become three headquarters organization as follows since April 2016. – The “Office of Gender Equality Awareness”, “Office of Diversity in Research Environment”, and “Office of Career Development for Postdoctoral Fellows and Graduate Students” –、

With your assistance and support, the Organization for the Promotion of Gender Equality will continue to tackle a variety of issues, and propose effective solutions for them. We appreciate your continued cooperation in the future.

Director, Organization for the promotion of gender equality
Nara Women’s University
Motoko Fujiwara