Designing Women

This study of over 12,000 women inventors in Britain, France, and America reveals new insights about gender and creativity, and about incentives and institutions for innovation. Women tended to specialize in improvements of consumer final goods, the look and feel of existing items, and design-oriented products at the boundaries of art and technology. While their creativity was often directed toward improving family welfare within the household, many of their contributions proved to be valuable in the market for inventions. Family firms provided an important conduit that overcame social obstacles to their entrepreneurial efforts. By contrast, women were significantly less likely to be awarded prizes for their innovations, so it is not surprising that they typically opted not to participate in administered systems.