It was decided at the Education & Research Council that the opening words: “Nagoya University will proactively hire woman staff when the performance evaluation (including research achievements, educational achievements, social contribution and personal quality) of a female applicant is found equivalent to that of male applicants” were to be included in the website for the recruitment of university teaching staff, as a positive action to improve the ratio of female teachers within the university.
Objective
This positive action is taken in view of the current gender ratio of the university and based on the awareness that an improvement of the female teacher ratio is necessary for the realization of gender equality. This action is taken with the objective to encourage woman researchers and graduate students to take advantage of this employment opportunity, as well as to correct the unequal ratio of male and female teachers.
Background
The university has made efforts to reach the goal ratio of 20% female teachers in the year 2010, a goal that was established in agreement with all departments, as recommended by the Japan Association of National Universities in FY2000. The result of the forecasted ratio of female teachers in our university for all departments was 16.2% (10.89% as of May 2005 including research associates). Unfortunately, this ratio is not nearly high enough to align with the recommended ratio by the JANU (not including Research Associates), of 20% in 2010; however, even this 16.2% is a target that cannot be easily achieved without putting in a proactive effort. Therefore, it was determined that positive action must be taken to ensure improvement in the ratio of woman teachers.
Performance must be equivalent
The positive action established by the university does not purport that woman teachers will be hired regardless of their achievements and performances. Therefore, it does not mean that woman applicants, with lower achievement and performance as compared to male applicants, will be hired over their male counterparts.
Leeway for discretionary action for exceptional cases
In taking this positive action, there is a need to also take into consideration the possibility of infringing upon the rights of individuals by categorizing individuals into gender groups. The positive action of the university takes this point into consideration, but should the criteria for employment be preferable for a male employee, leeway to allow for the male applicant to be hired over a female counterpart can exist. In this case, conditions considered as circumstances placing one applicant over another will be ultimately left to the discretion of each department or school.