There is no denying the fact that men succeeding at a conspicuously greater rate than women is a distinctive feature of entrance exams for university medical departments. Each university needs to make every effort to ensure that entrance tests are fairly conducted, so as not to incur the distrust of examinees.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has released the results of an emergency survey regarding entrance exams for medical faculties at a total of 81 national, public and private universities. The survey was taken in response to the problem involving Tokyo Medical University's action of unfairly manipulating examinees' test scores to reduce the number of successful female applicants.
The latest survey, which compared the average ratios of successful male and female applicants over the past six years, shows that the figures for men exceeded those for women at 63 universities, or about 80 percent of the total. The overall success rate for male test-takers was 1.18 times greater than that for female examinees. The greatest gap was seen in Juntendo University, where the figure stood at 1.67 times, followed by 1.54 times at Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University.
It is of no small significance that examinees and others are able to grasp data concerning the ratios of successful applicants.
In general, the ratios of successful female examinees are higher than those of male applicants at faculties in the humanities, science and technology courses. The ratio of successful male or female applicants at each medical department can easily change, depending on the success or failure of only a few examinees, as the prescribed number of slots for successful applicants is small there. However, men's predominance over women is evident at medical departments in this respect.
In responding to the survey, no university, except for Tokyo Medical University, said they had manipulated their examinees' test scores. Nor did the survey report any case of a university having set a gender-based quota for admission.
Discuss work-style reform
The survey results also include such responses from universities as an answer saying men's scores were higher than those of women in physics and mathematics exams. But these explanations seem to be insufficient. Not a few examinees seem to feel skeptical about them. The education ministry intends to analyze the realities of entrance exams in more detail through such measures as on-the-spot inspections.
To discern the aptitude of each examinee as a prospective doctor, most medical departments use short essay writing and interviews in the second stage of their admissions process. It seems that each university has discretion with which to comprehensively assess examinees based on its own criteria, so it can choose examinees who fit its ideal model as a student.
What is important for each university is to clarify what kind of yardstick it uses to judge the success or failure of each examinee. They should secure fair evaluation methods that can gain a broad understanding from society.
Female examinees with ability and motivation who wish to become doctors must not be unfairly excluded.
Entrance exams for medical faculties have their own distinctiveness, as they are directly connected with the employment of doctors at university hospitals and those who work in provincial areas. Among the people tied to the matter, there still is a strong feeling of resistance to an increase in the number of female students at medical faculties. This is due to such factors as a high percentage of women who choose to work at departments for certain types of treatment, including dermatology, as well as the high percentage of those who leave their jobs.
It is safe to say that the gender disparity in the ratio of successful applicants illustrates the problems involved in medical practice. They cannot be easily solved solely through entrance exam reforms.
How should severe working conditions at university hospitals or elsewhere be improved, thereby facilitating an environment in which women can play an active role in areas where male doctors outnumber females, including in departments for surgical-type treatment? The latest survey should be used as an opportunity to promote broad discussions, not just among people tied to universities and medical services.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 5, 2018)
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