Past Keynote Speakers
"One Person's Old Age," "Misogyny in Japan," "Ueno Sensei, Please Teach Me About Feminism from the Beginning," "The Time to Quit Life," "How Girls Live: Teach Me, Ueno Sensei!" etc.
Published Books
① 1994: Suntory Prize for Social Sciences for "The Modern Family in Japan: Its Rise and Fall" (Iwanami Shoten publishing co.) ② 2011: Asahi Prize for her research and practice in Women's Studies/Feminism and issues surrounding elderly care. ③ 2019: Awarded Hän Honours by the Republic of Finland (a letter of appreciation for her long-standing contributions to gender equality). ④ 2020: Elected as a "Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences"
AwardsThe University of Tokyo invited me to deliver an address at the entrance ceremony because they wanted to overcome the barrier of having a 20% female student body. If the percentage of females taking college entrance exams does not increase, then the percentage of successful applicants will not be high. By the time children reach the age of 18, they have been raised in an environment that discourages girls from taking on challenges. And that is not all. What is the point of selecting students with the highest percentage of correct answers for questions that only have one correct answer? If you ask the right questions, you will realize that the world is full of mysteries. Let us think about this together.
Message to the High School Students
Chizuko Ueno was born in Toyama Prefecture and has a Ph.D in sociology at the University of Kyoto. She has worked as an assistant professor at institutions such as Heian Jogakuin Junior College and Kyoto Seika University. After serving as a visiting professor at the University of Bonn and Columbia University, she became a professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology at The University of Tokyo until 2011. She was then invited as a special guest professor at Ritsumeikan University from 2012 to 2016. Currently, she is serving as an emeritus professor at The University of Tokyo and is the chairman of a certified NPO known as Women's Action Network (WAN). She specializes in women's studies/gender studies and is a pioneer in both fields. Her research topics also include a focus on support and care for the elderly.
Chizuko Ueno 2021