Why don't women patent?

Arbeitspapier

We investigate women's underrepresentation among holders of commercialized patents: only 5.5% of holders of such patents are female. Using the National Survey of College Graduates 2003, we find only 7% of the gap in patenting rates is accounted for by women's lower probability of holding any science or engineering degree, because women with such a degree are scarcely more likely to patent than women without. Differences among those without a science or engineering degree account for 15%, while 78% is accounted for by differences among those with a science or engineering degree. For the latter group, we find that women's underrepresentation in engineering and in jobs involving development and design explain much of the gap.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6886

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
• Subject: patenting ; gender ; Unternehmer ; Frauen ; Innovationsmanagement ; Patent ; USA

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Hunt, Jennifer ; Garant, Jean-Philippe ; Herman, Hannah ; Munroe, David J.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/67260
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET