IP is a crucial mechanism for fostering innovation, protecting creative works, and ensuring economic growth. And as we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is crucial to recognize the role of women in innovation, entrepreneurship, and IP. While IP laws are theoretically gender-neutral, their real-world application reflects deep-rooted gender disparities. Women remain significantly underrepresented in patent filings, corporate leadership, and IP legal professions. At the same time, female entrepreneurs — especially those running small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—often lack access to resources that would allow them to protect and commercialize their innovations.
Furthermore, women are disproportionately engaged in the informal economy, where counterfeit goods and IP infringement are typically produced. This raises an important question: How can IP policies better support women as innovators and entrepreneurs while also addressing their role in informal markets?
Female Creators and Inventors: A Gendered Innovation Gap
Despite growing recognition of women’s contributions to innovation, female inventors continue to be underrepresented in patent filings. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), only 17.7% of inventors listed in international patent applications in 2023 were women. At the current rate of progress, full gender parity in patents is unlikely to be achieved before 2077 (WIPO, 2023).
This gender imbalance is particularly visible in technology-driven industries. Female inventors are more likely to be involved in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical innovations but remain largely absent in mechanical and electrical engineering, where patent activity is most concentrated (SIB, 2024).
However, securing patents is only part of the challenge. Commercializing female-led innovations remains an uphill battle, as women often face lower funding opportunities, fewer licensing deals, and limited access to IP professionals who can help them bring their ideas to market (Nature, 2023). Studies show that women in STEM fields are less likely to be named as primary inventors, reinforcing a cycle where they are less visible and less likely to receive commercial investment (Harvard Business Review, 2023). Encouraging women to engage more actively in patent-heavy industries is crucial—not only for gender equality but for fostering diverse innovation and economic growth.
As part of efforts to empower women in IP, Rouse has conducted dedicated training programmes in the Philippines and Vietnam, equipping female entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to protect and commercialize their IP. These initiatives were aimed to help women-led businesses better understand IP strategies, enforcement mechanisms, and commercialization pathways—key steps toward increasing female participation in the formal IP system.
And at Rouse Group company, aera, they run year-round free IP consultancy for women innovators aimed at small companies, independent scientists, inventors, and startups in Europe.
Women in Different Sectors: MNCs, SMEs, and the Informal Economy
Women’s interaction with IP varies significantly depending on the size and nature of their businesses. While women are making progress in the corporate world, leadership roles in IP-heavy sectors such as technology, pharmaceuticals, and engineering remain largely male-dominated. Even within corporate IP legal teams, women tend to focus on trade marks and copyright management rather than leading patent strategy or R&D-driven IP enforcement. (Asia IP Law, 2023)
Further, women-led SMEs and startups are often concentrated in creative industries such as fashion, beauty, food, and crafts, where trade mark and copyright protections are more relevant than patents. However, despite owning a significant percentage of SMEs, female entrepreneurs often struggle to secure funding and legal resources to protect their innovations (World Bank, 2023). Limited awareness about IP further restricts their ability to leverage it for business growth.
Women in the Informal Economy
In developing countries, women are more likely to work in home-based and small-scale enterprises, particularly in crafts, textiles, and food production. These sectors could benefit significantly from trade mark protections and geographical indications (GI), yet most female entrepreneurs in the informal economy remain outside the formal IP system (WIEGO, 2023). Lack of awareness about IP further limits their ability to utilize it for business expansion.
For these women, formalizing businesses and integrating them into the IP system could provide long-term economic benefits while reducing their vulnerability to market fluctuations.
Women in the IP Industry: Lawyers, Policymakers, and Enforcement
Women’s representation in the IP legal profession and enforcement bodies remains limited, reinforcing gender disparities in the way IP laws are created, interpreted, and enforced. In Asia-Pacific, only 28% of patent practitioners are women, highlighting a stark imbalance in high-tech legal expertise (Asia IP Law, 2023). Women are better represented in trade mark and copyright law, as these areas align with branding, media, and marketing industries.
Despite the global expansion of IP enforcement efforts, women remain under-represented in customs, police, and regulatory bodies, where decisions about counterfeit crackdowns and anti-piracy measures are made (EUIPO, 2023). Additionally, most IP policies fail to address gender-specific barriers, leaving female entrepreneurs and innovators with fewer legal resources and support.
Bringing more women into IP policymaking and enforcement roles is essential to ensuring that IP systems are equitable and inclusive.
At Rouse we are proud of our diversity. Women make up the majority of our employees and are represented at all levels of the business including the Board. Across Rouse, aera and Konsert, women make-up an average of 45% of our combined teams who work with patents.
Female Participation in IP Infringement: The Counterfeit Economy
Women are not only affected by IP barriers—they are also key players in the informal counterfeit economy. In many countries, women dominate the sale of counterfeit goods, particularly in fashion, beauty, and accessories. Many vendors in these industries are unaware that their trade constitutes IP infringement, as counterfeit markets thrive within informal employment structures (OECD, 2019).
For many women, selling counterfeit goods is not a deliberate act of IP infringement but a survival strategy in economies where formal job opportunities are scarce. Governments need to balance IP enforcement with economic inclusion. Strict anti-counterfeiting measures often disproportionately affect women, particularly those in the informal sector who rely on counterfeit trade for financial survival (LSE Research, 2018). Rather than punitive enforcement, policies can focus on education, alternative employment opportunities, and business formalization strategies.
Towards a Gender-Inclusive IP System
The gender gap in IP is not just a legal issue—it is an economic and innovation challenge. Encouraging female inventors, supporting women-led businesses, increasing women’s participation in the IP profession, and addressing their role in IP infringement will create a more equitable and dynamic IP ecosystem. By bridging these gaps, we can ensure that women have equal opportunities to innovate, protect, and commercialize their ideas, ultimately driving economic progress and sustainable development for all.
