WIPO works with Member States and stakeholders to strengthen the evidence base, support policy development, build capacity, and foster partnerships that expand opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from the IP system.
WIPO's strategy on IP in support of women and girls: the IP and Gender Action Plan [PDF] frames our efforts.
Women's participation in key IP indicators remains low. In 2025, women accounted for only around 18.1% of inventors listed on international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and this share has risen by close to 7 percentage points over the last 25 years. In industrial design, women represent roughly one in five designers behind the look and feel of products, ranging from packaging to mobile phones and automotive exteriors.
At current rates of progress, parity among PCT-listed inventors remains decades away. Expanding women's participation in the IP system contributes to stronger innovation ecosystems by enabling more innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs to use IP to protect, manage, and commercialize their ideas. With global challenges like climate change, health, and food security demanding solutions that draw on innovation and creativity from around the world, supporting women's participation in the IP system benefits everyone.
Find out more:
- World Intellectual Property Day 2023 - Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity
- The Innovation Gender Gap – Economic research and the importance of measuring women's participation in the innovation ecosystem
- Innovation Gender Gap: Gender Parity in Patenting Expected by 2061 (2023 report)
- Together We Can: Approaches to Empowering Women in IP
To ensure IP works for the benefit of everyone, everywhere, WIPO's work is guided by two strategic documents:
- The IP and Gender Action Plan (IPGAP) sets out WIPO's strategic approach, mainstreaming women across policy, data, and capacity-building to expand their engagement in all aspects of IP, innovation, and creativity.
- The Policy on Gender Equality complements this by guiding the equal participation of women and men, both in the innovation ecosystem and in the structures and organizations that support it.
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A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Paragraphs are usually an expected part of formal writing, used to organize longer prose.
IPGAP Impact Stories Booklet
Women and Intellectual Property
Advancing women and girls’ participation in IP
Women innovate, invent, and create across every field, industry, and discipline, yet they remain significantly underrepresented across the intellectual property (IP) system. WIPO is committed to strengthening women’s participation in the innovation ecosystem.
WIPO works with Member States and stakeholders to strengthen the evidence base, support policy development, build capacity, and foster partnerships that expand opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from the IP system. WIPO's strategy on IP in support of women and girls: the IP and Gender Action Plan [PDF] frames our efforts.
Women's participation in key IP indicators remains low. In 2025, women accounted for only around 18.1% of inventors listed on international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and this share has risen by close to 7 percentage points over the last 25 years. In industrial design, women represent roughly one in five designers behind the look and feel of products, ranging from packaging to mobile phones and automotive exteriors.
At current rates of progress, parity among PCT-listed inventors remains decades away. Expanding women's participation in the IP system contributes to stronger innovation ecosystems by enabling more innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs to use IP to protect, manage, and commercialize their ideas. With global challenges like climate change, health, and food security demanding solutions that draw on innovation and creativity from around the world, supporting women's participation in the IP system benefits everyone.
Find out more:
- World Intellectual Property Day 2023 - Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity
- The Innovation Gender Gap – Economic research and the importance of measuring women's participation in the innovation ecosystem
- Innovation Gender Gap: Gender Parity in Patenting Expected by 2061 (2023 report)
- Together We Can: Approaches to Empowering Women in IP
To ensure IP works for the benefit of everyone, everywhere, WIPO's work is guided by two strategic documents:
- The IP and Gender Action Plan (IPGAP) sets out WIPO's strategic approach, mainstreaming women across policy, data, and capacity-building to expand their engagement in all aspects of IP, innovation, and creativity.
- The Policy on Gender Equality complements this by guiding the equal participation of women and men, both in the innovation ecosystem and in the structures and organizations that support it.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Paragraphs are usually an expected part of formal writing, used to organize longer prose.
Women, Innovation and Impact
Stories illustrating the global progress of WIPO’s first IP and Gender Action Plan
Support for Member States
WIPO supports Member States including IP offices and other national institutions to develop policies and initiatives that support women's participation in innovation, creativity, and the IP system.
Women and IP Symposium
Global platform for IP and innovation offices to advance women's participation in the innovation and IP ecosystem.
IMAGE: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS/ MELPOMENEM
National IP and Innovation Strategies
Support to countries to integrate women and IP priorities into their National IP Strategies.
IPGAP Database
Resources highlighting global policies and initiatives that support women's participation in innovation and IP. Submit resources to the IPGAP.
Research and data collection
WIPO conducts research, analysis, and data collection to identify the scope and nature of the gap in women's participation in IP and to inform strategies for closing it.
Global Research Experts Meeting (GREM)
Global network dedicated to generating evidence on women and IP.
World Gender Name Dictionary
Resource supporting evidence-based research and sex-disaggregated data.
IMAGE: Getty Images/Sam Edwards
Innovation gender gap insights
Collection of stories offering insights on the innovation gap facing women inventors and entrepreneurs.
Projects for impact
WIPO develops and implements tailored mentoring programs equipping women entrepreneurs, innovators and creators, young women and girls, and indigenous women entrepreneurs with the skills and tools to navigate innovation, creativity, and IP.
IMAGE: Caiaimage / Chris Ryan/iStock / Getty Images Plus
WIPO Academy IP for Youth & Teachers
Equipping teachers and young innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs with IP knowledge and tools.
Indigenous and Local Community Women Entrepreneurship Program
Building capacity and skills for Indigenous and local community women in creativity, heritage, and innovation.
Closing the Gender Gap in IP webinar series
Platform for women speakers to share experiences, insights, and perspectives across sectors.
Women and IP Symposium for IP and Innovation Offices
The Women and IP Symposium brings together representatives from IP and innovation offices, policymakers, innovators, and experts to share experiences, challenges, good practices and practical approaches for advancing women's participation in innovation and the IP ecosystem.
The Symposium is a key initiative under Pillar 1 of WIPO’s Intellectual Property and Gender Action Plan (IPGAP), providing a global platform for IP and innovation offices to exchange knowledge, strengthen capacities and build partnerships to support women and girls in innovation, creativity and intellectual property.
