Azusa Hara: As a Female Researcher

2021/11/22

It was six months after entering the Doctoral Programs that I had an experience like light shining before my eyes and opening up—the kind of experience that only happens in the world of fiction. After joining a laboratory and becoming captivated by the fascination of research, I proceeded directly to the Doctoral Programs. However, I could not envision a path forward as a researcher. I had unconsciously assumed that a life dedicated 24 hours a day to research was something that women, in particular, could not sustain for a lifetime. One reason may have been that there were very few female faculty members in my department at the university I graduated from at the time, making it impossible to form a vision for the future of a female scientific researcher. Even though I was doing what I loved, my days felt dark and the future was invisible.

However, my world changed completely when a support project for female researchers was launched at the university. At the inaugural symposium, I met female professors from other departments and female scientists active in society. Seeing them shine as they spoke about the fascination of research and balanced home and work through various innovations, I realized for the first time—something perhaps obvious and even outdated at the time—that "Oh, it's okay for women to live as researchers too." My heart leaped at how much lighter and brighter I felt just knowing that, regardless of whether I could actually make a living as a researcher, I was allowed to consider it as an option. I still cannot forget how even the scenery I saw every day on my way back to the lab seemed to be glowing.

Nearly 15 years have passed since then. Fortunately, I have been able to continue my education and research as a faculty member of this Juku. However, when The Lancet published a special issue in 2019 on the theme of "Advancing women in science, medicine, and global health," it was noted that gender equality in researcher employment has still not been achieved globally. When I talk to students and graduate students assigned to the laboratory, perhaps because they see faculty members who are physically and mentally exhausted, I only hear comments about working in academia like "It's absolutely impossible" or "It looks so hard." At such times, I reflect on myself. If I were like the women I met back then, instead of just sighing all the time, perhaps academia would become an attractive option for students as well. I want the next generation to feel that same sense of excitement. Noticing myself about to sigh again, I quickly straighten my posture.