Sony And female Engineers: Updated Jan. 29, 2024.

 

Sony lures record female engineers despite talent shortage in Japan

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20231117/p2g/00m/0bu/014000c

Article:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Sony Corp. is increasing its hiring of female engineers, aiming to achieve a record-high percentage among its new hires for the next fiscal year, challenging the entrenched stereotype in Japan that typically associates men with such roles.

The ratio of women is expected to reach an all-time high of about 30 percent among new recruits for engineers and researchers at the leading technology firm, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday, a rare achievement in the country that has grappled with a shortage of female talent in the field.

The move comes as Sony, which produces smartphones and mirrorless cameras, is ramping up efforts to create a friendlier working environment for women, the sources said.

Ideas: 

Its important, for all Japanese companies, to create a friendlier working environment for woman, working women, with company benefits for women with children and even maybe better working conditions for married men who need to help with the children. 

Japan should look at how the EU or the Northern European countries handle these issues.

Its also important to move working women into executive positions as much as possible and not just the lower levels for a company.

On my last trip to Japan in Jan. 2024, my partner and I took a taxi from Yokohama station back to our hotel. We had a young woman taxi driver, the first time that I could remember. When we got to the hotel the woman taxi driver said she almost started to cry, as she had only been working a few weeks and never experienced such nice customers, indicating, unfortunately, she might have experienced a lot of not so so nice customers, as being a women taxi driver in Japan. 

Article:

Sony offers flexible work schedules for pregnant women and those engaged in child-rearing, as well as a leave system for those undergoing fertility treatment, among other measures to support women's careers.

The new graduates will join the company in fiscal 2024, although Sony does not disclose the exact number of hires. The company conducts recruiting activities with three other group companies, including its parent, Sony Group Corp.

"It is often said that if one group accounts for about 30 percent of the entire population, they are not a minority," said Hiromi Yokoyama, professor of science and technology studies at the University of Tokyo.

Ideas:

Sony, unfortunately, might be in the among the few companies in Japan that offers the benefits they do for working women.

Unfortunately, many companies still don't give the benefits like Sony does, and as a result, less women in highly skilled jobs in Japan.

Maybe if other companies see what Sony is doing maybe they will also provide better benefits to working women. But the challenge is what about small and mid size companies that might not have the needed resources to offer that same benefits that large Japanese companies do.

About 70 percent of the Japanese workforce doesn't work for large companies but small and midsize companies. So while its good that Sony can provide the needed benefits, again, what about the other companies in Japan.

Article:

"It is remarkable that a leading Japanese company achieves such a high percentage despite the stereotype that science is for men," Yokoyama said.

Companies are having difficulty hiring female engineers in Japan, where the number of women who major in science-related fields remains low.

Ideas:

Maybe the first step if for universities to recruit more women into science-related fields, with cooperation from leading tech companies with maybe internships so that young aspiring women can see what its like too work for a leading Japanese tech company.

Also the mindset needs to change in Japan, and its not easy, for women to aspire to jobs in tech companies, and the chance too, of moving up the ladder into management positions in their careers.

It could takes decades, or longer, for the Japanese mindset and working women to have better working situations in Japan. But as Japan is facing a so-called labor shortage, Japanese women, working women, are not well represented in many job situations, as they are often just in lower level positions in a company.

Article:

Among the Japanese graduates of higher education institutions in 2021, females who studied natural science, math and statistics accounted for 27 percent, according to data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Those women who majored in engineering, manufacturing, and architecture stood at 16 percent. Both numbers were the lowest among the 38 OECD member countries.

Ideas:

So most likely the reason the numbers are so low in Japan is young Japanese women don't see a future in science related fields and maybe the benefits are not there and or only low-level positions are available in most leading tech companies, so why bother spending four years studying science related subjects if only to get a low-level position in a tech company.

Of course it might not be easy in the other 38 OECD member countries, but at the same time, they might offer the resources for women, including advancement to management positions in a country.

And or maybe the Japanese government should setup scholarships for aspiring young women to many universities to offer science related fields.

Japan is facing a labor shortage, and besides recruiting foreign talent for skilled tech positions, Japan needs to use the human resources it has, meaning give assistance to aspiring young women to work in science related fields or any field where there is a labor shortage, such with the women taxi driver, as there is so-called shortage of taxi drivers too in Japan.

Have a nice day and be safe!