WHO invents what? Women’s participation in patenting activity in Spain
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
ISSN: 1756-6266
Article publication date: 30 June 2022
Issue publication date: 9 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Recent years have seen increased participation by women in Science and Technology activities, but parity with men remains a distant goal. This paper provides a framework for improving knowledge on the dynamics of women’s contributions to innovation, as measured through their contributions as inventors.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis was conducted using data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database, covering over 40 years from 1976 to 2019. The study provides a breakdown of women’s inventiveness/innovation by technology area, which permits analysis of whether female inventors tend to work individually or as part of a team, as well as analysis of the effects of international networks.
Findings
Specific data have been analyzed around innovative activity by women in Spain, providing new insights on gender gaps. Key findings include those recent increases in inventions by women (as measured through patents) have occurred mostly via participation in internationally connected mixed-gender teams. Furthermore, the inventive creativity of women is found to be sector-biased and framed mainly in the chemical sector.
Originality/value
There are no similar contributions using USPTO data for Spanish inventions. This is an original paper that emphasizes the potential of collaborative networks as key driving mechanisms for the reduction of gender gaps and for the larger integration of women into innovation activities, with potential implications for stakeholders at both firm and governmental levels.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Complutense University of Madrid (CT31/21), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Universities using Next Generation funds from the European Union.
Citation
Medina, L. and Álvarez, I. (2022), "WHO invents what? Women’s participation in patenting activity in Spain", International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 397-416. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-11-2021-0185
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited