A profile of women inventors in Canada

People and Skills is the first pillar in the Government of Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan, and an important person in the innovation process is the inventor. Despite this, little is known about Canadian inventors. This paper provides A profile of women inventors in Canada and compares them with men inventors, using data on patent applications from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, linked to the Canadian Employer–Employee Dynamics Database from 2005 to 2019. The study finds that, while Canadian men inventors who patent in Canada outnumber women, the number of women inventors grew at a faster pace over the period examined. Women inventors are more likely to be younger, a higher proportion of them are immigrants and they are more likely to “co-patent,” compared with men inventors. This paper also finds differences in employment trajectories between men and women inventors. Women inventors are more heavily concentrated in large businesses, and a higher proportion work in professional, scientific and technical services. In addition, women inventors are more likely to be owners of unincorporated businesses, while men inventors are more likely to be owners of incorporated businesses. Finally, men inventors are slightly more likely to be repeat inventors, that is, to submit more than one patent application over time.