Data Reveals Strong Growth in the Number of Female Inventors, but There Is Still a Long Way to Go

The UK IP Office recently released a report titled “Gender Profiles in Worldwide Patenting,” which analyzed female inventorship worldwide. The report indicates that the proportion of female inventors worldwide has almost doubled from 6.8% to 12.7% between 1998 and 2017. In that same time period, the proportion of patent applications that name a female amongst their inventors rose from 13% to 31%, and the proportion of applications with as many female inventors as males rose from 3% to 8%. Additionally, the proportion of patent applications that have several female inventors has more than doubled from 2% in 1998 to 4.5% in 2017. Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) published a takeaway piece and contacted Finnegan partner Dori Hines for her thoughts on the findings, as Dori recently coauthored The Boston Manifesto, a piece published by IAM that summarized a boardroom discussion on gender issues in the intellectual property community.

Dori said, “It is encouraging that the data shows a steady increase in female inventors, especially in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and organic chemical fields. This important study by the UKIPO also highlights for companies and academia that further strides can be made. As discussed when formulating the Boston Manifesto, through, for example, internships, programs for high school and college students, and speaking engagements, we can educate girls and young women about jobs in science and technology, leading to further increased female representation in the inventor ranks.”