Indicadores de actividad tecnológica por género en España a través del estudio de patentes europeas

Abstract

Obtaining indicators of technological activity by gender is needed to increase our knowledge about the contribution of women to innovation and technological development. These activities are essential for the economic success of countries but have traditionally revealed a low presence of females. This paper adopts a "macro" approach and presents technology indicators by gender based on the analysis of the patents applied for from the European Patent Office (EPO) by Spanish inventors during 1999-2007. From a total of 6,860 patents, at least one female inventor was found in 20% of the patents. Inter-gender difference3s in patenting are observed by institutional sector, with female involvement being above average in the public research sector and by technological field, with a higher presence of females in chemistry. The relationship among the sex of the inventor, the institutional sector of the assignee and the technological field of the patent is explored through correspondence analysis. The article points out the relevance of patent-based indicators by gender for identifying gender inequalities in technological activity and supporting policy measures oriented to promote women's integration in the science and technology system. © 2014 CSIC.