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Gender equality and innovation: evidence from UK companies

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  • Pawel Bukowski
  • Hannah Yi Wei

Abstract

We investigate the effect of intra-firm gender disparities on innovation using a unique longitudinal dataset of UK companies from 1996 to 2019. Utilising within-industry and within-firm variation, as well as an instrumental variable approach, we examine the effect of gender pay gap and female representation at the top, on patenting activity - measured by their headcount, number of citations, and economic value. In general, our findings indicate that gender parity does not negatively impact patenting. However, in more recent data, we uncover evidence suggesting that a lack of gender parity adversely affects both the quantity and quality of patents.

Suggested Citation

  • Pawel Bukowski & Hannah Yi Wei, 2026. "Gender equality and innovation: evidence from UK companies," CEP Discussion Papers dp2179, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2179
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    References listed on IDEAS

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