Innovation Gender Gap
Innovation and creativity are the engines of economic growth. Policies that support and encourage these activities are likely to spur creativity and innovative thinking, potentially solve the challenges today, and increase living standards worldwide.
However, there seems to be a disparity when examining who is behind the innovative and creative endeavors, especially when measured through participation in the intellectual property (IP) protection system. In particular, there is a gender participation issue in the IP system.
Innovation gender gap insights
Austria’s Efforts to Empower Women in Innovation and Patenting
Engaging women in science, technology and innovation is crucial for societies to address pressing social and economic issues. Drawing from Austria’s recent ranking in female inventor rates across Europe, the Austrian Patent Office conducted a qualitative study to identify and ramp up pivotal initiatives for empowering women in innovation and patenting. Let’s take a look at these initiatives!
4 Initiatives to Narrow the IP Gender Gap in the Americas
Considering the growing global recognition of the importance of gender and diversity disparities in innovation, several countries have taken steps to address these gaps. A group of delegates from the United States, Mexico, Chile and Colombia convened to highlight the policies and programs adopted within the Americas.
5 Initiatives to Narrow the IP Gender Gap in Europe
Considering the growing global recognition of the significance of gender and diversity disparities in innovation, numerous countries have taken steps to address these gaps. A group of delegates from Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and Hungary convened to highlight the policies and programs adopted within Europe.
4 Initiatives to Narrow the IP Gender Gap in Africa and the Arab region
As nations around the world become increasingly aware of the importance of gender and diversity gaps in innovation, many have implemented policies to reduce these gaps. A panel of representatives from Egypt, Rwanda, Bahrain and Nigeria presented and discussed policies and programs in the African and Arab regions.
Seminar series on the IP gender gap
WIPO – in collaboration with Invent Together – is organizing a series of online seminars with intellectual property (IP) offices and innovation stakeholders on the IP gender gap in different regions across the world. Its goal is to raise awareness, evaluate it quantitatively and qualitatively, and discuss policies and other actions that show promise in addressing it.
High-level policy panels
IP economists panels
Upcoming events
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Why is the gender gap an issue?
The unequal participation of women to men in the IP system is troubling. It potentially indicates missed opportunities to address pressing global concerns from women innovators and creators.
In addition, it may affect innovation and economic productivity, implying a burden on the wealth and growth of the economy.
Narrowing the gender participation gap is of utmost importance to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goal #5 of achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls.
What do we know?
Many factors can account for these disparities along the innovation production chain. Among these, three are of particular relevance from an economics perspective.
- Firstly, men are more likely than women to enter the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, this ratio is slowly improving in various parts of the world.
- Secondly, a significant share of women in the STEM fields leaves the workforce. Studies on this leaky pipeline phenomenon, especially in academia, point to gendered institutional policies and implicit bias in the promotion and tenure processes in exacerbating this problem.
- Thirdly, women who do patent their inventions tend to face difficulties in commercializing their products, including raising money from venture capitalists.
IMAGE: StockPhotoAstur/Getty Images
Gender Equality, Diversity and Intellectual Property
Explore what else WIPO is doing to promote gender inclusion in our work.
What can we do?
There are two ways in which economic researchers and policy analysts can try to address this pressing matter:
Identify women inventors and creators
The first step is establishing a baseline to address the problem. Where do women inventors and creators stand? The current share of women's participation in innovation and IP would help to situate how far is left to bridge the gender gap, partially fulfilling the UN SDG #5.
In this regard, IP data - patents, utility models, industrial design, and registered copyrights, to name a few - contain a rich set of information on inventors, designers, and creators.
To support national IP offices and researchers more broadly, WIPO compiles the latest methodologies and best practices to help in measuring women's participation in the innovation ecosystem.
Understand what the challenges for women inventors and creators are
A second step is to encourage quantitative research at the intersection of gender participation, innovation, and creativity. The innovation and IP data combined with additional data related to economic activities can provide insights on women's contribution to social-economic development and economic growth.
Questions to address include:
- How are women participating in Innovation and IP creation?
- What challenges do women face to start and when innovating?
- What policies can improve gender balance?
Get involved by joining our GitHub community on IP, Gender and Innovation.