Abstract
The gender gap in academia has long been the focus of public discourse
regarding the role of universities in promoting social values. In this study,
we consider women's participation in transferring knowledge from the
academy to industry. A prominent model for such transfer is reflected in
patent registration for inventions developed through scholarly research.
And while academic patenting is a significant component of the professional
activities of many faculty members, the extent to which women's scientific
discoveries are patented and commercialized has received relatively little
attention.
The U.S. academy is a leader in science and a pioneer of technology
transfer. This study analyzes the extent to which inventions by academic
women are protected by university patents. Through analysis of inventors'
names, we ascertain the expected gender of inventors listed on applications
filed by U.S. academic institutions. From this data, we report the extent to
which a gender gap exists in patent application, grant rates, fields of
research, and forward citations.
Our study yielded several key findings. First, we found a significant
increase in the number of patent applications originating from universities
from 2000 to 2015. We identified a similar increase in applications by
inventor teams made up of only women, though these applications were
granted at a lower rate and were cited less frequently than patents obtained
by teams including men. We found differences in team composition, with
women being much more likely to work alone than men. We also noted an interesting disparity in subject matter, with drugs and chemistry (especially
molecular biology) dominating the technological fields of university
applications. The Article concludes that while women increasingly
participate in academic patenting, a significant gender gap persists. Our
findings may serve as a springboard for further research on the reasons for
the failure to achieve gender equality, as women's representation in the
academy continues to increase.
regarding the role of universities in promoting social values. In this study,
we consider women's participation in transferring knowledge from the
academy to industry. A prominent model for such transfer is reflected in
patent registration for inventions developed through scholarly research.
And while academic patenting is a significant component of the professional
activities of many faculty members, the extent to which women's scientific
discoveries are patented and commercialized has received relatively little
attention.
The U.S. academy is a leader in science and a pioneer of technology
transfer. This study analyzes the extent to which inventions by academic
women are protected by university patents. Through analysis of inventors'
names, we ascertain the expected gender of inventors listed on applications
filed by U.S. academic institutions. From this data, we report the extent to
which a gender gap exists in patent application, grant rates, fields of
research, and forward citations.
Our study yielded several key findings. First, we found a significant
increase in the number of patent applications originating from universities
from 2000 to 2015. We identified a similar increase in applications by
inventor teams made up of only women, though these applications were
granted at a lower rate and were cited less frequently than patents obtained
by teams including men. We found differences in team composition, with
women being much more likely to work alone than men. We also noted an interesting disparity in subject matter, with drugs and chemistry (especially
molecular biology) dominating the technological fields of university
applications. The Article concludes that while women increasingly
participate in academic patenting, a significant gender gap persists. Our
findings may serve as a springboard for further research on the reasons for
the failure to achieve gender equality, as women's representation in the
academy continues to increase.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 759-815 |
| Number of pages | 57 |
| Journal | UC Davis Law Review |
| Volume | 56 |
| State | Published - 2022 |