Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week
An Invitation to Gendered Innovations
Ochanomizu University
Ochanomizu University, home to Japan’s first Institute for Gendered Innovations (IGI), will host an event to explore the concept of Gendered Innovations.
The event will include a lecture featuring case studies and both domestic and international trends in Gendered Innovations, a panel discussion with researchers, presentations by Ochanomizu University students, and an introduction to the Intersectional Design Cards.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn and reflect on how research and technology development through the lens of Gendered Innovations can contribute to building a society where everyone is valued and respected.
Discussion
- Gender equality
- Diversity and inclusion
- Gendered Innovations
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Not provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese |
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Track Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.08.04[Mon]
12:00 ～ 14:00
(Venue Open 11:30)
-
- Venue
- Pavilion
- Women’s Pavilion “WA” Space
©お茶の水女子大学ジェンダード・イノベーション研究所
Programme details
Coined and developed by Professor Londa Schiebinger of Stanford University, Gendered Innovations is a groundbreaking approach that aims to drive innovation by incorporating sex and gender analysis into research and development processes.
The event will focus on answering the question “What is Gendered Innovations?” It will be divided into four parts: a lecture, a panel discussion, students’ presentations, and an introduction to the Intersectional Design Cards.
The first part of the event will feature a lecture that explores the concept of Gendered Innovations, with examples of research and development across diverse fields and an examination of the challenges and opportunities ahead. In the second part, researchers from Ochanomizu University will take part in a panel discussion exploring their works and the practical applications of Gendered Innovations. The third part will highlight presentations by Ochanomizu University students who participated in the course “Introduction to Gendered Innovations.” These students will propose ideas for new products and initiatives inspired by the Gendered Innovations framework. The fourth part will introduce the Intersectional Design Cards, which can be used in a workshop to help develop ideas based on Gendered Innovations.
This event will provide a unique opportunity to explore how a sex/gender conscious and intersectional approach to research and technology, empowered by Gendered Innovations, can contribute to a more inclusive society that celebrates individual differences and promotes well-being for all in the global community.
We invite you to join us for Gendered Innovations and discover how gender and intersectional perspectives can inspire new ideas and innovations!
Reports
【Reflection】
On Monday, August 4, we at the Institute for Gendered Innovations held the event “An Invitation to Gendered Innovations” at the Women's Pavilion “WA” Space. In addition to 50 members from the general public, 20 students and 13 faculty members from Ochanomizu University attended, bringing the total to 83 participants. The lively 120-minute session was filled with moments of laughter and surprise.
In the first session, Director Masako Ishii-Kuntz explained the concept and significance of Gendered Innovations (GI), along with examples from research and development. The GI perspective has been garnering attention not only in the field of academic research and development but also in practical fields. Drawing on her own experiences both as a researcher and as an ordinary person, she emphasized the importance of reflecting on daily life through the lens of GI.
In the second session, a panel discussion was held featuring Deputy Director Etsuko Saito, Professor Takayuki Itoh, and Associate Professor Mamiko Fujiyama. While the three researchers specialize in different fields—Family Resource Management, Visualization, and Urban and Architectural Design—they presented outcomes of their research undertaken from a GI perspective. These included expanding research methods and subjects, generating new ideas for products, experiences, and services, as well as considering social inclusion and social implementation. It was also noted that, by using GI perspective, researchers from diverse disciplines were able to come together to exchange ideas, leading to the identification of new research topics as well as the development of joint research projects and the organization of collaborative seminars.
In the third session, under the facilitation of Project Associate Professor Rika Takamaru, students who had completed the course “Introduction to Gendered Innovations” in the spring semester of the 2025 academic year presented their proposals for addressing social issues from a GI perspective. Specifically, the proposals included: (1) A set of motivational stickers designed to enhance self-affirmation, thereby encouraging women to speak up more in business settings; (2) A navigation application that takes into account women's feelings of insecurity toward spatial recognition, anxiety about driving, and movement patterns characterized by shorter, more frequent trips; (3) A men’s sunscreen that prevents skin aging and skin cancer while eliminating discomfort with cooling effects and fulfilling the desire for tanning; (4) Urban design that does not rely on the argument that women should bear responsibility for their own safety on the streets at night; (5) A household chores application aimed at reducing the disproportionate burden of housework on women by combining skill visualization, emotional sharing, and the joy of achievement; and (6) suggestions for reducing long queues at women's restrooms through measures such as increasing the number of women’s facilities and shortening individual usage time.
Finally, in the fourth session, an overview of the “Intersectional Design Cards,” translated by the Institute, together with an outline of the associated workshop, was presented by Research Administrator Kumi Yoshihara. The cards are designed to help generate products, experiences, and services that incorporate intersectional perspectives and support social justice and sustainability. They also serve as an educational resource to deepen understanding of diversity and inclusivity. While the workshop has a basic structure, it can be adapted to address specific issues. To date, the Institute has held workshops at industry academia exchange meetings and at local governments, earning acclaim for fostering a deeper understanding of the significance of GI.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
The Institute for Gendered Innovations engages in building a society that enables diverse forms of well-being by integrating sex, gender, and intersectional analysis into research (gendered innovation).
In the 2025 academic year, we plan to publish a textbook Introduction to Gendered Innovations. This volume will provide foundational knowledge on GI and overview of the lecture “Introduction to Gendered Innovations,” which was developed through the collaborative efforts of Ochanomizu University, the University of Tokyo, and Tohoku University since the 2022 academic year. The publication will also include research and development case studies, as well as future issues and challenges that, due to time constraints, could not be fully discussed during the event. We invite you to read it.
In addition, to raise awareness of GI among a broader audience, we organize public events, lectures by the Director and Deputy Director of the Institute, and outreach lectures for high school students. For further information and inquiries, please visit our website (https://igi.cf.ocha.ac.jp/en/).
Cast
Speakers
ISHII-KUNTZ Masako
Ochanomizu University Director, Vice President
Masako Ishii-Kuntz, Ph.D., is Trustee and Vice President of Ochanomizu University in charge of international relations and diversity promotion, and Director of the Institute for Gendered Innovations. Prior to her appointment at Ochanomizu, she taught sociology at the University of California, Riverside. Her specialties include family sociology and gender studies, and her research focuses on gendered division of housework including men’s childcare in Japan, U.S. and Scandinavian countries. In recognition of her contributions to the international research and teaching of family sociology, she received the Jan Trost Award from the National Council on Family Relations in the U.S. She was the President of the Japan Society of Family Sociology, and she is currently a board member of the Japan Sociological Society and an associate member of the Japan Science Council. She was a member in the United Nations Expert Group meeting, the Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office’s committee, and various committees of international professional associations including American Sociological Association.
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ITOH Takayuki
Professor
Takayuki Ito, is a Professor at Ochanomizu University. He joined IBM Japan, after receiving a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University and worked as a researcher at the Tokyo Research Laboratory. He obtained a doctorate degree in engineering from Waseda University. He is an associate member of the Science Council of Japan and a member of the Engineering Academy of Japan.
He is engaged in research on “information visualization,” which effectively displays the information that is around us on a computer screen. He has many research achievements in visualization, and these include the fields of science and technology, social issues, human behavior, and music. He has given particular focus to the use of visualization to support AI operations and understanding and mastery of culture and the arts through visualization, as well as the visualization of gender bias and other social issues.
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SAITO Etsuko
Professor
Dr. Etsuko Saito studied management and industrial psychology at the Graduate School of Business Administration, Meiji University and became aware of household economics and family resource management at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Showa Women's University. She obtained a doctoral degree from Showa Women's University in 1997. The title of doctoral dissertation is “A research of Gender Roles and Women's Labor in Organizational Culture”. After teaching as a lecturer, assistant professor, and professor at Gifu Keizai University from 1997, she joined Ochanomizu University in 2010. She is a professor, deputy director and director of the research division at the Institute for Gendered Innovation.
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FUJIYAMA Mamiko
Associate Professor
Mamiko Fujiyama’s areas of expertise are urban and architectural design and design engineering. After graduating from the Graduate School of Art and Design, Kyushu University, she worked for an architecture firm. Having worked as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Urban and Architecture Studies, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, she was appointed to Center for Interdisciplinary AI and Data Science at Ochanomizu University in 2021. Since 2022, she has been a researcher at the Institute for Gendered Innovations (IGI), Ochanomizu University. At the IGI, she aims to explore possibilities for highly inclusive spaces by re-examining conventional urban and architectural design from the perspective of intersectionality. Mamiko Fujiyama is currently working on a Study on All-Gender Toilets to Create Inclusive Toilet Environments in Educational Facilities.
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WATANABE Maiko
Project Associate Professor
She entered the doctoral program in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick. She studied Science and Technology Studies, and conducted research on the development of antenatal testing in the UK. In 2012, she was awarded the Kakiuchi Memorial Practical Award from Japan Society for Science and Technology Studies. She received a grant for overseas collaborative research from the JSPS, and is currently conducting joint research with researchers at Uppsala University on gender and age differences in the use of health-related digital devices.
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More Information
Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week
An Invitation to Gendered Innovations
Ochanomizu University, home to Japan’s first Institute for Gendered Innovations (IGI), will host an event to explore the concept of Gendered Innovations.
The event will include a lecture featuring case studies and both domestic and international trends in Gendered Innovations, a panel discussion with researchers, presentations by Ochanomizu University students, and an introduction to the Intersectional Design Cards.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn and reflect on how research and technology development through the lens of Gendered Innovations can contribute to building a society where everyone is valued and respected.
-
2025.08.04[Mon]
12:00～14:00
(Venue Open 11:30)
- Pavilion
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
©お茶の水女子大学ジェンダード・イノベーション研究所
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