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Few patents list at least one woman among their inventors worldwide—but China is making that distinction twice as fast as the United States. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images
In the race for global technological leadership, China has realized that it needs more innovators to compete with the US and has worked strategically to expand its innovation capacity. Here’s why China is eating America’s lunch on a critical measure of technological prowess: female inventors.
A new World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) study of international patent applications found that from 2001 to 2005 and from 2016 to 2020, China almost doubled its female innovation capacity. Double China has 42 percent of the U.S., compared to 22 percent in the U.S. In order to keep China ahead of technology, President Biden vowed in the State of the Union that it “will not be used against us.” The United States must access all talent by changing the culture around innovation and expanding the pipeline of innovators.
Our elected officials already know the dangers of other countries leaving us out of innovation. In an unusual and powerful show of bipartisanship, Congress passed the CHIPS and SCIENCE Act last summer to keep American innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, clean energy, 5G and other advanced technologies going. China is not only continuing America’s leadership in these areas, but also inventing the next generation of innovative technologies.
The WIPO study shows that the US lags far behind China and the rest of the world in our efforts to fully mobilize our innovation capabilities. From 2016 to 2020, the US ranked 13th–below the global average–based on the share of patents held by women. China ranks fourth behind Colombia, Spain and Egypt.
Globally, a WIPO report found that only one in eight inventors listed on a patent was a woman, and 4 percent of global patents covered inventions by women-only inventors or groups. These figures show not only the wide global use of talent, but also the gender bias in global innovation.
According to a WIPO study, international patent filings could reach gender parity in four decades. That already dismal pace can be further slowed by crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced more female scientists than men to take care of their families.
Innovation plays a central role in economic growth and job creation. The strength of a country’s patent protection is a strong predictor of its commitment to the rule of law and its ability to provide incentives for innovation. Copyright in the US is regulated by the Constitution of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) estimated that intellectual property-based industries support more than 40% of US economic activity and 63 million jobs – 44% of the US workforce.
America’s lack of women among named patent inventors can be remedied. In his first two years in office, President Biden has revived “Made in America.” Now we need to make sure everyone has the opportunity to “create in America.” New laws, policies, and private sector practices can expand access to education, mentoring, and science and technology careers: for example, by increasing legal support and funding for research and innovation, improving child care and family provision and medical leave, and university and private sector jobs for all. Making sure people are welcoming.
The need for change is as much about equalizing economic and technological competitiveness as it is about correcting historical wrongs. A series of studies show that the more diverse a group of creative people, the more innovative and creative their results.
In a report released last October by the USPTO’s Office of the Chief Economist, it said that the continued underrepresentation of women in patenting is a “drag on America’s innovation and prosperity” and cited projections of vastly increased economic output if women were granted equal patenting rights to men. “Gender diversity enhances the innovation process in important ways: women’s experiences and perspectives help inform and improve the quantity and quality of innovation,” the report said.
In order for women, people of color, and other historically underrepresented groups to fully contribute to the creative economy, government, educational institutions, and the private sector must promote broad participation in innovation and patenting.
The global competition for innovation is on–and the stakes are higher than ever. America can continue to lead–but only if we harness the power of all our talents to maximize our creative potential.
Holly Fechner is the executive director of Invent, a coalition of universities, nonprofits, companies and other stakeholders committed to making innovation possible for everyone.
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