Bridging the gender gap in innovation

Since the beginning of time, female and male innovators have transformed our world through the power of their imagination. All the products that we enjoy today are the result of years of Research and Development (R&D), experimentation and invention, which come from the minds of both men and women. Written byLuke Hamm, CEO, GovGrant 

Despite this, evidence shows there is a significant gender gap when it comes to innovation. And while the number of UK female-founded start-ups has doubled over the last decade, a large funding gap in which such start-ups receive almost one third less investment than their male-founded counterparts has meant that male-founded businesses still outnumber them by nearly ten to one. 

However, innovation is at the heart of economic recovery as we navigate a post Covid-19 world, and particularly as we seek to bolster the strength of a nation independent of the EU. It’s therefore dispiriting to think that the UK could be missing out on the skills and expertise of a significant chunk of the population. There is still so much value to unlock. We cannot afford to take such a siloed approach to innovation when it comes to gender – for sustainable and impactful growth, the government, industry bodies and policymakers alike need to tackle this gender gap head on. 

STEM in the spotlight

A key factor that contributes to gender disparity within innovation comes down to the lack of women within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors (STEM). In the UK, the Government Office for Science, supported by organisations such as Innovate UK and initiatives such as Women into Science and Engineering (WISE), has been campaigning for many years to inspire girls and women to study and build careers in STEM. But while we’re putting measures into place to address the gender gap across a range of fields, there are still awareness days such as the ‘Day of Women and Girls in Science’ that exists to promote STEM subjects amongst women. This therefore raises the question of whether the UK is as ahead of the curve as we might think. 

Statistics highlight that, in 2019, just 24% of women account for the STEM workforce, with a meagre 10% of women working as engineering professionals and just 16% in the IT industry. 

Clearly, there is still so much more to be done to reduce the gender gap in these fields, especially in computer science, engineering and technology that show the largest gender imbalances. Diversity and inclusion are key to driving innovation – and as innovation holds the key to our economic future, this gender disparity is a big problem. 

While there are many compelling reasons to advocate increased female participation in STEM areas, perhaps one of the most important reasons behind this is that increased participation would likely boost the overall number of patent applications by women. 

Patent data is telling 

In general, patents serve one main purpose: to encourage more innovation and creativity by making sure that innovators and creators can gain a fair reward for their work. But while they serve a purpose to protect an idea or innovation, an IP right should also be driven by how they can improve margin, sell more, or engage better with potential clients.

But the system is not used equally by everyone. Historically, females have been underrepresented amongst patent inventors. According to the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO), before 1965, the proportion of female inventors was generally between 2% and 3%. Since then, the proportion of female inventors has risen, hitting 6.8% in 1998, and almost doubling since then to reach 12.7% in 2017. Despite this, more than two thirds (69%) of all patents come from all male teams or individual male inventors. In comparison, just 6% come from all female teams. 

Furthermore,  analysis from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) shows that less than a third of all international patent applications filed in 2015 included women inventors. The fact is far more men gain patents for their inventions. GovGrant’s Innovation Nation research reaffirms the disparity. In a survey of over 500 SME decision-makers across seven different industry sectors, only a quarter (25%) of respondents were female. And yet, when we analyse the responses and attitudes  towards the barriers, incentives and the value of innovation, there was no significant difference in male and female opinion. Women are just as capable as men, so why is there such a significant gender gap in use of the IP system? 

Closing the gap 

A roundtable of experts at WIPO provided a useful overview of some major issues, including the disparity of females versus males studying or working in the STEM fields, but also drawing upon the fact that these wider inequalities reflect preconceptions and stereotypes about females.  

While the vast majority of businesses want to recruit the best candidates for the job in every instance, gender splits reflects the candidates that come forward for those roles. To address this problem, the work needs to be done early – in schools, universities, and in early careers. All decision makers should be working closely with the education system to teach children and students about technology from the start – particularly in educating them on the crucial role it has in shaping the world we live in through R&D and innovation. But most importantly, they should be creating environments that allows women to be comfortable and confident in a future within the STEM fields. 

These issues cannot be changed overnight. But there is growing recognition of the need to close the IP gender gap, and encouragingly, we are seeing organisations such as the WISE Network and WeAreTechWomen working on a global scale.

Innovation is the driver behind a resilient economy. As we start to recover from Covid-19 and establish the UK as an independent trading nation outside of the EU, we need to maximise this opportunity and a diverse and balanced approach is essential. Measures introduced by the government in March’s Budget, such as the 130% super deduction, show this is being taken seriously, but while we are not addressing the gender disparity we are missing out on the value half the population can bring. 

We need to close the gender gap and prioritise improving gender equality which underpins the key factors in meaningful innovation, namely unlocking better solutions, adapting to change, and finding – and retaining – the best talent. This is a wake-up call – let’s work to implement real change.