Are Women’s Ideas Missing From The Future Of Innovation?
From London Business School, via Forbes:
In the world of science and technology, we like to believe that the best ideas rise to the top. That innovation is a meritocracy. That inventors, driven by the promise of progress and profit, will naturally seek out the most promising research, regardless of who wrote it.
But what if that is not the case?
New research suggests that gender bias may be quietly shaping the future of innovation. A study I co-authored with Michaël Bikard and Ronak Mogra – Standing on the Shoulders of (Male) Giants: Gender Inequality and the Technological Impact of Scientific Ideas - recently published in Administrative Science Quarterly, found that scientific papers authored by women are significantly less likely to be cited in patents than those authored by men. In other words, when inventors look for ideas to build on, they are more likely to pick ones that come from men .
This is not just an academic issue. Patent citations are a key sign that a scientific idea is being used to develop new technologies. If women’s work is being overlooked, it means their ideas are less likely to shape the tools, treatments, and technologies of tomorrow.