Founded the Society of Japanese Women Scientists

In 1958, shortly after becoming the first woman to earn a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Tokyo, Katsuko Saruhashi founded the Society of Japanese Women Scientists.

The organization was created to address the profound isolation and lack of institutional support that women scientists faced in Japan at the time. Female researchers were often excluded from professional networks, denied mentorship opportunities, and passed over for advancement despite their qualifications.

Saruhashi understood from her own experience how critical peer support and advocacy were for women navigating a scientific establishment built almost entirely around male norms and expectations. The Society provided a platform for women scientists to share research, build professional connections, and collectively advocate for better treatment and opportunities within Japanese academia and industry.

This organization represented one of the earliest formal efforts in Japan to systematically address gender disparities in STEM fields. It laid important groundwork for later initiatives, including her 1980 co-founding of the Association for the Bright Future of Women Scientists and her establishment of the Saruhashi Prize in 1981.

Her efforts as an institution-builder are considered as significant to her legacy as her scientific discoveries, reflecting her lifelong commitment to ensuring that future generations of women would not face the same isolating barriers she encountered.