Gender Difference in Innovation Recognition: A Textual Analysis Approach

Zihao Li and Shaoyu Liu

Journal of Labor Economics, 2026, vol. 44, issue 4, 1185 - 1221

Abstract: This paper studies gender difference in innovation recognition using patent citations. We propose a method to quantify undercitation based on pairwise textual similarity of patents. Both male and female inventors exhibit homophily, underciting patents by inventors of the opposite gender, and this tendency is stronger among female inventors than male inventors. However, female inventors’ patents are 12% less likely to be cited overall because female inventors are outnumbered by male inventors (i.e., composition effect dominates). By contrast, citations added by patent examiners show little gender difference. Past undercitations negatively impact future patenting activities, more so for female inventors.

Date: 2026
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