【講演テーマ】Academic Undermatch and Gender Leaky Pipeline in Japanese Selective College Admissions
打越文弥氏は、教育社会学を専門とし、現在、ハーバード大学ウェザーヘッド国際問題研究所付ハーバードアカデミーに所属している。本講演では、日本の大学入試におけるジェンダー格差やアンダーマッチの問題などについて、貴重なデータの分析をご紹介いただきながら報告していただいた。FTコースの学生も含め14名が参加し、多くの質問を通じて有意義なディスカッションが行われた。講演の概要は下記の通りである。
In Japan, women comprise only 20–30% of undergraduate students at selective national universities, despite a gender convergence in overall university attendance rates. Recent studies suggest that this lack of gender diversity is partly due to the high-risk nature of Japan’s college admissions system. Because applicants can apply to only one or two national universities per year, pursuing selective institutions carries a substantial risk of failure, often requiring students to delay college entry by a year if unsuccessful. These institutional constraints likely amplify gender disparities in aspirations and application behaviors. This study examines the hypothesis that female students are more likely to “undermatch”—that is, attend colleges that are less selective than their academic qualifications would warrant. Using a unique dataset collected by a private testing company, we find that, controlling for test scores in the mock exam, female applicants are significantly less likely than male counterparts to apply to “reach” schools. This gender gap is especially pronounced among the highest-achieving students. Furthermore, female students are more likely to pursue early admissions, a pathway rarely offered by elite institutions. We discuss the implications of academic undermatch and the resulting “leaky pipeline” for understanding gender inequality in access to selective higher education in Japan and beyond.
＊今回より社会・公共領域研究コースの研究会は、「E-Democracy研究会」から「社会・公共研究会」に改称された。