What Might We Do to Encourage More Women to Write Patents?

Abstract

The gender gap in invention has been well studied, and the data speaks loudly, suggesting that women are under-represented in patent-intensive fields of study, especially engineering. Clearly, then, an increase in women engineering graduates might improve the probability of more women becoming patent authors. The question remains, however, "What else might we do to land more women in patent-intensive job tasks?" To answer that question, a panel discussion on this topic was held, in which the panel consisted of the authors. Discussion topics were developed and presented by the moderating professor, while women alumni provided comments and observations that were presented collectively. A summary was then prepared, and recommendations to encourage more women to write patents have been suggested.