Understanding Demographics in Patent Data

Abstract This chapter examines how patent data can be utilized to investigate demographic disparities in innovation, with a particular focus on gender representation. It evaluates trends in patenting participation, describes the construction and limitations of inventor disambiguation and gender attribution in the PatentsView dataset, and examines how these methodological tools influence interpretation. It emphasizes the underrepresentation of women among inventors and the importance of considering both patent applications and granted patents to avoid misrepresenting gendered patterns in innovation. By assessing the accuracy of current data attribution techniques, the chapter highlights both the value and limitations of using administrative data for studying diversity in patenting. It concludes that expanding access to and refining demographic imputation methods can support more equitable innovation policy and enable a fuller understanding of who participates in invention.