Tanaka and Miyauchi, who had both accepted offers from other medical schools before their Tokyo exam results were compiled, hope the anger evident in social media and during a protest in front of the school last week will turn into a movement to force university authorities to change their ways.
“The medical school said it manipulated exam scores to ensure a steady supply of [male] doctors for its affiliated hospitals,” said Tanaka. “Their policy was not to support female doctors but simply to give more jobs to men. That isn’t going to help solve the labour shortage in the medical profession.”
Miyauchi, who hopes to work in a hospital emergency room, said the test score scandal risked deterring girls from entering the medical and other professions.
“It reinforces the message that women don’t need to bother studying,” she said. “The old-fashioned idea that women should raise children while their husbands go out to work still resonates in Japanese society. This is just an example of a much bigger problem. And it’s brought shame on Japan.”
Miyauchi and Tanaka’s names have been changed at their request.
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