EPO report reveals female representation is increasing among named inventors - but remains low

This Kat is looking out for female
inventors

Gender balance in the European intellectual property profession is a topic of much comment, with the EPO's recent publication of a study on female representation among inventors adding some interesting figures to the discussion. 

While the headline figure that 13.2% of inventors in Europe are women may seem low, the EPO is keen to emphasise that this is a considerable increase from previous decades. In the late 1970s, only 2% of inventors named on patent applications were female. 

In addition to discussing trends over time, the EPO's report is especially revealing in relation to differences between Member States - though not a single Member State had women make up even a third of named inventors for the period 2010-2019. Latvia had the highest percentage of female inventors at 30.6%, followed by Portugal and Croatia both hovering around a quarter. Germanic countries are overrepresented among those with the lowest shares, with Germany and Luxembourg both at 10% while Liechstenstein sits at 9.6% and Austria in last place with 8%. 

There are marked differences between different sectors, with chemistry winning first place with a 22.4% share of female inventors. Mechanical engineering trails in last place at 5.2%. Similarly, the UPC's recent judicial announcements revealed that two of 16 technically qualified appointees to the mechanical engineering field of technology were female (see Kat coverage here). Interestingly, the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals areas have had over 30% female inventors in the most recent period measured, yet not one woman was appointed as a technically qualified judge in the biotechnology area. Chemistry and pharmaceutics fared much better with four women out of 10 appointees.

The report authors note that the overall percentages are well below the percentage of female science and engineering graduates and researchers, while universities and public research institutions have greater representation of women than in the private sector. Taken together, these conclusions suggest that there remain structural barriers in institutions to recognizing female participation and representation.

Image: Own.