Intellectual Property, Gender, and Diversity
Human innovation and creativity are the engines of progress. Since the beginning of time, innovators and creators from all walks of life have transformed our world through the power of their imagination and ingenuity. However, some groups remain severely under-represented in many areas of intellectual property (IP) use. Their innovative potential is underutilized at a time when we need the widest possible range of talents to solve the pressing problems facing humanity.
WIPO publications on gender and diversity
To improve diversity in the use of IP for the good of everyone, everywhere, WIPO is guided by two documents.
IP and Gender Action Plan (IPGAP)
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2023
Our strategic plan for WIPO’s work through policy, data, and capacity-building initiatives to promote and advance women’s engagement in all aspects of IP, innovation, and creativity.
WIPO Policy on Gender Equality
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2024
Our overall guidance to ensure the equal participation of diverse women and men in both the innovation ecosystem and in the structures and organizations that support it.
News
WIPO Guidelines on Inclusive Language
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2022
The challenge – Insufficient data and persisting gender gaps
Disparities exist in the use of the IP system by women and other groups. WIPO is working to bridge them. According to WIPO data released in March 2024, it is estimated that only 17.7 percent of inventors named in international patent applications were women in 2023. While numbers are rising, progress is slow. WIPO estimates that, at current rates, parity among Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)-listed inventors will only be reached in 2077.
Find out more
- World Intellectual Property Day 2023 - Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity
- The Innovation Gender Gap – Economic research and the importance of measuring women's participation in the innovation ecosystem
- Innovation Gender Gap: Gender Parity in Patenting Expected by 2061 (2023 report)
- Together We Can: Approaches to Empowering Women in IP
IPGAP Database
Global policies and initiatives supporting women and IP
WIPO's IPGAP Database serves as a comprehensive resource showcasing global policies and initiatives that enhance women’s participation in innovation and intellectual property (IP). By providing practical examples and data, it helps guide policymakers and organizations in developing strategies that address national needs, while also offering researchers valuable insights into how these policies can promote women’s involvement in the IP ecosystem.
The IPGAP Database allows users to easily locate policies (such as laws, regulations, or guidelines) and initiatives (including projects and activities) that support women’s active engagement in innovation, IP, and entrepreneurship.
World Intellectual Property Day 2024
WIPO provides governments and stakeholders with data and policymaking tools to enhance national ecosystems for women and girls, delivering impactful activities promoting women's use of IP in innovation and creativity.
Join us in celebrating World Intellectual Property Day 2024! Explore how IP can amplify the impact of innovative and creative solutions for building our common future and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Initiatives at WIPO
We are working to mainstream gender equality considerations in all our activities and to increase the number of women who participate in the IP system by expanding knowledge and capacities. WIPO drives and participates in research on gender equality, diversity and IP and celebrates the ingenuity of inventors, creators and innovators from all groups.
Inspiring innovators
Find more inspiring innovators among our case studies and WIPO Magazine articles.
Research and studies
- Policy Approaches to Close the Intellectual Property Gender Gap - Practices to Support Access to the Intellectual Property System for Female Innovators, Creators and Entrepreneurs [PDF]
- Challenges for Women Inventors and Innovators in Using the Intellectual Property System - A Literature Review [PDF]
- Women and IP Commercialization in the Asian region: the case of the Philippines [PDF]
- Women and IP Commercialization in the Asian region: the case of Sri Lanka [PDF]
Additional resources are available on WIPO's dedicated YouTube channel.
Find also more case studies and WIPO Magazine articles on gender equality, diversity and inclusion.