A Japanese Medical University Lowered Female Students' Scores Because It Didn't Want Too Many Women Doctors

The university believed accepting more male students would help solve the university hospital's doctor shortage because female doctors would inevitably drop out of the workforce after they get married and give birth to children.

By
Kassy Cho
by Kassy Cho

BuzzFeed News Reporter

and
Saori Ibuki
by Saori Ibuki

伊吹早織 BuzzFeed News Reporter, Japan

A top medical university in Japan has allegedly been lowering the scores of female applicants to keep the ratio of women at the university below 30 percent.

時事通信

According to Japanese media, Tokyo Medical University has allegedly been systematically decreasing the scores of female applicants since 2011, after the number of successful female applicants jumped to 40 percent in 2010.

An unnamed university official told the Yomiuri Shimbun that the university believed accepting more male students would help solve the university hospital's doctor shortage because female doctors would inevitably drop out of the workforce after they get married and give birth to children.

The source also said that women doctors are "more unwanted" in the surgical department, where working hours are irregular and emergency operations occur.

The source added that it was commonly accepted in the surgical department that "it takes three women to serve as one man."

“It was a necessary evil. It was a silent consent," the official said.

University sources said a specific number of points was automatically deducted from the exam scores of all female applicants, according to the Asahi Shimbun.

According to the Yomiuri report, a total of 303 men and 148 women passed the university's first stage of applications this year.

The university then allegedly deducted a set number of points from female applicants' scores to reduce the number of them who would make it to the next stage.

The university ultimately ended up accepting 141 men and 30 women this year, which is about 18 percent of the total applicants who made it.

People were outraged.

スプツニ子！/Sputniko! @5putniko

信じられない・・・　自分の育った場所が、まだ本当に、こんな場所なんだってこと、悲しくなる。女の子たちの夢を応援したいと思います。　東京医大、女子受験生を一律減点…合格者数抑制 : 読売新聞 https://t.co/P5Um2Xsxle

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"I can’t believe this… It makes me so sad to find out that these things are still happening in the place I grew up. I will cheer for and support every girl’s dream."

弁護士 太田啓子 @katepanda2

これ決めた人間って家事育児介護と仕事の両立に悩んだことないんだろうな。お前らが家のことやらずに仕事だけやって済まされてきたのは誰のおかげなんだよ。誰にお前ら家のこと子どものこと押し付けてきたんだよ言ってみろよ https://t.co/sBO1bxYjau

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"Whoever decided to do this must have never worried about balancing work, parenting, housework and nursing. Who do you think did all your chores so that you can just worry about work and do nothing. Who did you push your duty as a parent to, just say it."

佐藤倫子 @sato__michiko

女子受験生を一律減点するなら初めからちゃんとそういっておいてくれないと。そしたらそんな大学受験しないんですから。受験料無駄。ていうか詐欺。落とした女子受験生に受験料返せって話です。

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"If you are going to lower women’s test scores, you have to say so from the beginning. Then we won't apply to such a university. It’s a waste of an application fee. This is fraud. They should repay the female applicants."

A spokesperson for Tokyo Medical University told BuzzFeed Japan that the university is currently conducting an internal investigation and will hold a press conference this month about the results.

Japanese universities are allowed to set a student gender ratio as long as they make it public, Asahi Shimbun reported. Tokyo Medical University did not announce the ratio while recruiting students.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is also aware of the details of the case, according to Yomiuri.

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