Women inventors are almost 40 years behind men in patenting,

It will take women until 2061 to achieve gender parity in international patenting, based on current trends, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).Women inventors were behind only 23% of all international applications between 1999 and 2020, while men were involved in 96%, report finds.Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and food chemistry had the highest rates of women inventors, with “far fewer” women inventors in mechanical engineering.By region, Latin America and the Caribbean perform strongly, with women representing 21% of all listed inventors. In Asia, women inventors represent 17% of the total, while in North America and Europe, women account for 15% and 14% respectively of all listed inventors. For Africa and Oceania, the figure is 13%.“Much work” is still needed to ensure women in all countries have equal opportunities, the WIPO says. This should include policies and actions to stimulate gender diversity in teams – and more research into the societal and technological factors fuelling the gender gap in patenting.