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One out

of every four inventors in Spain is a woman.

This is clarified by the new study published by the

European Patent Office (EPO),

which with 23.2

%

places Spain as

one of the leaders

in this field of research.

In this way, it is almost double the European average, in which only 13.2% of patents filed are devised by women.

Spanish women

thus exceed the invention rate of countries such as

Germany or Luxembourg,

both with a rate of 10%, but they do not reach the rates of Latvia (30.6%), Portugal (26.8%) or Croatia.

Luis Berenguer,

Director of Communication for the OPE and his spokesperson, assures that this difference is due to the

investment of public universities

and the high participation of women in this field, something that other member countries of the organization lack. .

"Research and innovation in Spain takes place within the framework of

public research,

where the presence of women and in universities is greater than the private sector", he assures.

It is this investment that makes the Balearic Islands in the peninsula the leading community with a rate of 29.8% and in turn the third European region with the highest number of female inventors.

It is followed by Madrid, with 6,154 inventions, and Aragón, with 1,224, which means that the rate for both is 24.7%.

On the other hand, the communities with the lowest female invention rate are Castilla-La Mancha (16.5), Canarias (16.3) and La Rioja (14.4).

Public funds are also added to policies that make Spain a

growing region for the future of women.

"Spain has long ago implemented very advanced gender equality policies at a European level," explains Belenguer.

Margarita SalasJ.M.

CHAINS

Inventions by sectors

By sectors,

Biochemistry and Pharmacy

have stood out between 2010 and 2019 as the areas where there is more participation of women, with 30%.

From the European Patent Office they explain that this is due to

"the high presence of girls at the university",

especially linked to studies in life sciences.

In this sector, Spain is once again the leader compared to Europe, which while the continent reaches a rate of 22.4%, Spain does so with 14.7 points more.

In 1970 the number of inventions by women was 2% and in 2019 it rose to 13.2%.

"It is neither much nor little. It is in line with what is

the increase in equality",

point out the representatives of the report.

"The full increase in the incorporation of women into the world of work was not so evident in the 1970s, nor so evident in all countries at the same time," they add.

The gender gap is still valid, but from OEP they hope that with this study the debate will be put on the table.

"The figures that we are handling from 70 until now give a good starting photo.

From there we will evaluate,"

they confirm about their future.

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