The International Trademark Association releases gender representation study

New York, New York—July 25, 2024—The International Trademark Association (INTA) has published Shattering Systemic Barriers: How to Advance Gender Diversity in the Intellectual Property Profession, a gender representation study undertaken in collaboration with World Intellectual Property Review.

Based on a survey of close to 1,000 respondents from 94 jurisdictions, this research captures a snapshot of the situation today and identifies, evaluates, and measures efforts underway to improve the situation for women with the goal of promoting those initiatives that are making strong headway. 

The Report assesses and compares the career trajectories of men and women and sheds light on biases that can hold women back and on implicit and explicit sexism that persists in the industry.

“The research indicates that substantial challenges remain for women in intellectual property, with many respondents reporting that they have witnessed or experienced implicit or overt bias against women in the workplace,” noted INTA Past President Ayala Deutch (NBA Properties, Inc., USA) and Executive Champion of The Women’s LeadershIP Initiative in a Report foreword.

The study found that, while efforts are underway to improve the representation of female practitioners in the IP industry, more needs to be done to combat prejudices faced by women in the workplace and to promote healthy work-life integration. While nearly 70 percent of the survey respondents say that women and men progress along the same or similar paths, many respondents noted that women are held to different standards than their male colleagues.

Emphasizing that an analysis of the research findings through the lens of intersectionality is key to initiating change in the workplace, the co-chairs of INTA’s DEI Council, Marion Heathcote (Davies Collison Cave, Australia) and Kimberly Reddick (Snap Inc., USA), said in a foreword to the Report: “By ensuring that as a community we recognize the overlapping and interacting factors that shape and create individual experiences within the community, we can ensure that opportunities are and remain equally accessible. Equally important is the need for awareness-raising regarding our own unconscious biases and preconceived perceptions toward those who may not immediately or directly identify with another marginalized group.”

This research was undertaken in accordance with INTA’s 2022–2025 Strategic Plan and its objectives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the global IP community and beyond, and to recognize, support, and empower all women leaders in IP.

“INTA is committed to advancing women in IP and reaching gender parity within our community. This starts with—and cannot be achieved without—reliable data,” said INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo. “The data behind this research provides deep insight into the experience of women in the trademark sector, their day-to-day experiences, the biases they face, and the challenges they encounter with work-life integration. I call on everyone in the global IP community to take this Report back to their organizations, to absorb the data, and to join us in promoting this important cause.”

“Sideman & Bancroft is proud to sponsor this important study. As one of the largest women-owned law firms in the United States, we are committed to establishing a balanced and positive environment for our attorneys and staff no matter their gender identity,” said Kelly McCarthy (Sideman & Bancroft LLP, USA). “This requires constant vigilance, and the Report’s findings are extremely helpful. We hope that the results of this study encourage others to view the practice of law through the lens of the survey respondents and look for ways to develop meaningful opportunities in their own organizations.”

Read the full report here.

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