In a first-of-its-kind case, a Japanese court has ordered a university to pay for the "academic harassment" of a female faculty member. Kumiko Ogoshi, a research associate in the department of public health at Nara Medical University, claimed that her supervising professor, who has not been identified, tried to get her to quit by spraying discarded chemicals in her office, packing up her office while she was away, and withholding research funds. Ogoshi and others say such treatment helps to explain why only 7% of all full professors at Japan's universities are women.
The compensation, awarded earlier this month by Osaka District Court, amounts to just $5000. And the court sidestepped Ogoshi's bid to make her boss personally liable for his behavior by saying that, as a public employee, he is protected from such suits. Still, the decision was "gratifying," Ogoshi says.
The university has appealed the ruling, saying that "the professor's actions were the result of the plaintiff's work performance and were legal and appropriate."
