Factors Influencing Japanese Women To Choose Two-Year Colleges in Japan

Abstract

Two-year colleges in Japan have traditionally absorbed the major portion of female college entrants due to long-held gender stereotypes. Recently, Japanese women began to explore selfhood outside the traditional realm of marriage and motherhood. However, two-year colleges in Japan today continue to enroll mostly female students and few male students. Moreover, the general public continues to regard two-year colleges as a place for young women to prepare themselves for marriage and motherhood. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether traditional gender stereotypes continue to influence the decision of Japanese females pursuing a two-year college education. A sample of 214 Japanese female students enrolled in a two-year college participated in the study. The survey questionnaire was developed to examine factors perceived as influential by Japanese women on their decision to choose a two-year college. The questionnaire items were adopted based on a review of literature pertinent to gender roles and women in higher education in Japan and the government surveys on Japanese women's life-course plans. Exploratory factor analyses extracted three factors: traditional gender expectations, career and marriage, and career interests. Students in this study ranked career interest highest, followed by traditional gender expectations, and career and marriage. This suggests that women's choices of two-year college are based first on their concerns for job and financial security, second for marriage and family, and third for the dual goals of pursuing both a career and marriage. The finding suggests a changing role for two-year colleges in contemporary Japan.