Gender diversity and patent quality: Evidence from Chinese patent data

Abstract Based on the patent data from China National Intellectual Property Administration, we attempt to examine the effect of gender diversity in inventor teams on patent quality. We argue that gender diversity in inventor teams can promote patent quality, especially the invention patents that are high quality and radically innovative. Moreover, we find that the positive effect will be enhanced in places where women are well educated and improved by reducing gender discrimination. We propose that the effect will be more significant when market competition or market uncertainty is high as well as when the enterprises are private and growing. Ultimately, our study advocates that governments and enterprises should pay more attention to female labor forces, especially in the area of science and innovation, which is beneficial to improve innovation in China and eliminate gender inequality in the labor market.