At least 80 percent of fine arts professors at universities, and film and theater awards judges in Japan are male, according to a survey released Thursday by an arts organization, highlighting the gender imbalance in the field.
An average of 73 percent of students in faculties of fine arts at 15 major art universities were female, while 87 percent of professors, 73 percent of associate professors and 72 percent of lecturers were male, according to the survey conducted by the Investigation Team for the Arts, which supports gender equality in the field.
In the film industry, 80 percent of the judges and 85 percent of the winners in six annual film awards between 2011 and 2020 were male, while men accounted for 81 percent of the judges and 62 percent of the winners in six theater prizes in 2020 and 2021.
"In the first place, the gender ratio of film crews is imbalanced," movie director Koji Fukada, whose 2016 film "Harmonium" won a prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, said at a press conference. "We should not only rely on individuals but have a social system that creates a better workplace."
Media critic Chiki Ogiue said that the gender imbalance helps create "a hotbed for harassment."
In the U.S. film industry, Hollywood has seen its own share of gender inequality and sexual harassment problems.
Powerful producer Harvey Weinstein was first indicted in 2018 after allegations emerged he sexually assaulted multiple women in the industry over the course of several years, causing the #Me Too social media movement denouncing sexual harassment to gain momentum worldwide.
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