Intellectual Property and Technology Partner Laurie Selkowitz published an article in the Daily Journal titled “The Dual Frontier: Women in Technology and Tech Law.” In her piece, she underscores the significant progress in increasing the number of women working in the technology sector, while also illuminating the persistent, gender-specific challenges that women in STEM continue to encounter.
Excerpts
As technological innovation reaches breakneck speed, the practice of law must keep pace. The fields of technology and tech law have always been closely linked, and correspondingly, the advancement of women within them follows parallel trajectories.
Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to close the representation gap for women in tech, with STEM education and networking programs, joint ventures, funds, and startups emerging to support women-owned or led technologies. In the report "Women in Tech Stats 2025," the WomenTech Network notes that women currently make up about 35% of the tech workforce, a significant improvement from just 9% in the early 2000s.
While significant progress has been made, women in STEM fields still face gender-specific barriers, including a lack of funding, resources, and support. This is especially relevant in the realm of tech IP. Female innovators face higher patent rejection rates than their male counterparts - in 2023, women made up only 17.7% of inventors listed on international patent applications according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Even more concerning, WIPO projects that full gender parity in patents is unlikely to be achieved before 2077. This is due to myriad factors, including a lack of legal representation, fewer educational opportunities on IP rights, and overall, less financial support for women.
Originally published by Daily Journal.
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