Women's empowerment and participation in innovation: Evidence from the one-child policy in China

Women have historically been underrepresented in technological innovation activities, leading to a substantial underutilisation of human resources. This study examines the impact of family-level women's empowerment on their participation in innovation using China's one-child policy and patent data from 2009 to 2021. The findings indicate that strengthening women's empowerment can effectively enhance their participation in innovation by increasing human capital, reducing domestic responsibilities, reinforcing gender equality awareness, and increasing the likelihood of remaining unmarried. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis of enterprise characteristics and regional factors reveals that the positive impact of women's empowerment on participation in innovation is more pronounced in enterprises with a higher proportion of female directors, lower market uncertainty, and weaker competition. The effect is also more significant in regions with weaker fertility culture, son preference, and gender identity norms. This study contributes to eliminate occupational gender segregation and fully use women's intellectual resources to promote innovation.