Who do we invent for? Patents by women focus more on women’s health, but few women get to invent

Abstract

Invention and identity Members of social groups may be more likely to patent inventions targeted toward their own group's needs and interests. Koning et al. examined US biomedical patents and found that although fewer women engage in commercial patenting compared with men, their patents are more likely to focus on women's health (see the Perspective by Murray). In an evaluation of biomedical articles, the researchers found that women were also more likely to make scientific discoveries that might lead to women's health patents. These findings demonstrate that a lack of representation among inventors translates into a lack of breadth in inventions. Science , aba6990, this issue p. 1345 ; see also abh3178, p. 1260