Female patent attorneys and movements around the profession: achieving non-gendered decision-making

Jessica C Lai, Ronelle Geldenhuys, Maryam Khajeh Tabari and Mark Summerfield

Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 2024, vol. 19, issue 7, 596-617

Abstract: Female patent attorneys face multiple layers of bias and discrimination. This article uses qualitative and quantitative data to analyse the experiences of female patent attorneys in Australia and New Zealand and their movements around the profession.Through interviews with 53 patent attorneys and an analysis of over 5 years of data on registered patent attorneys, we examine the experiences of women and how this can affect their decision to move to in-house roles, set up their own entities or move to smaller firms.While noting that women appear to face bias regardless of where they practice, the article concludes that the particular issues mothers face represent a key factor in why women are disproportionately over-represented in in-house roles. The issues also constitute a motivation for many women to set up their own entities and to move firms (though not necessarily from a larger to a smaller firm).

Date: 2024
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