This study of Japanese women scientists recognizes that their workplaces are those in which the traditional culture of Japan meets the practices of a modern scientific laboratory. In many ways, the two places, Japan and the laboratory, hold contradictory values. Which values will subsume which? Having asked this question, I have attempted to determine the implications of this clash of values for Japanese women working in science. 85 non-Japanese postdoctoral researchers working in Japan were asked their opinions about the distinct characteristics of Japanese laboratory practice, and 62 Japanese women in science in Japan and abroad were asked to comment on a variety of issues in relation to their situation. Results of this survey indicate that Japanese cultural values predominate in science practice in Japan. This predominance has implications both for the scientists and for scientific results. Japan's science laboratories are psychologically less cold than they otherwise might be, but the warm human connections helpful on a social level are in some ways inimical to getting scientific tasks done. The vertical social structure, moreover, means that women who leave scientific work temporarily to fulfill home duties may find it difficult to return to their workplaces later, when these duties become less pressing. Individual needs relating to role models, mentoring, family issues, and to the cultivation of critical thought and independent thinking appear to be the most pressing for women scientists. Implications are: Japan needs a method of allowing field-independent discussion without reference to considerations of rank, seniority, or age. The government of Japan can be supportive of women in science in various ways. For example, they can adjust the gendered division of labour in the scientific workplace and in the Japanese home to include both masculine and feminine participation at both sites. They can also compose a new governmental word descriptive of the present
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.37894 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Ghezzi, Beverley J. |
| Contributors | Ghosh, Ratna (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Culture and Values in Education.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001844902, proquestno: NQ75636, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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