The report “Advancing Women in STEM“, published in March 2026 by the European Patent Office, clearly shows that although the number of women in STEM professions is rising, the percentage of female inventors is, at 13.8%, quite low.
The report furthermore illustrates that the percentage of female inventors in STEM varies greatly depending on the field of technology:
- Pharmaceuticals (34.9%)
- Biotechnology (34.2%)
- Food chemistry (32.3%)
- Machine tools (5.7%)
- Mechanical components (4.9%)
Women are more present in the fields of „Life Sciences“, while their representation in engineering disciplines such as machine tools and mechanical components is very low.
Universities and public research institutions interestingly have the highest proportion of female inventors (24.4%), while researching SMEs are not there yet. One reason could be that universities, research organizations and public bodies must have gender equality plans in place in order to receive Horizon Europe funds. A study of 2025 shows that two thirds of Horizon Europe applicants report that their institution has implemented gender equality plans.
In light of the International Women’s Day on March 5, the European Commission published the Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030, which heavily builds on the previous strategy in this realm but also addresses new subjects. One key element is the announced “Action Plan on Women in Research, Innovation & Startups”, which aims to further gender equality in European R&I fields.