Ratio of female university students Japan 2014-2023

The representation of women in Japanese higher education continues to grow, with female students comprising 44.6 percent of university enrollments in 2023. This marks a steady increase over the past decade, reflecting changing societal attitudes and educational opportunities for women in Japan.

Study field preferences

Female students enrolled at universities in Japan exhibit a strong interest in the social sciences, with the highest number of female undergraduates majoring in the subject in 2023. At the postgraduate level, the engineering field had the highest number of female students in the same year. When it comes to gender distribution, humanities, education, medicine, and art attracted a higher share of women than men in postgraduate studies.

Employment prospects

The rising female university enrollment is translating into positive career outcomes. In 2023, 81.2 percent of female university graduates in Japan entered employment after completing their studies. It is worth noting that this proportion was much lower among women with postgraduate degrees, with below 70 percent of those with master’s and doctoral diplomas securing employment after graduation.