1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff Mom never told you. From House stuff 2 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: Kristen and I'm Caroline. And Caroline. I know that a 4 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: dude invented the lightbulb or whatever, but really, where would 5 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: we be as a civilization without Ruth Graves Wakefield. That's 6 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: what I say all the time. I know I'm quoting you, 7 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: because so what did I what did I'm testing you? 8 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: What did I say? So you said, y'all? Okay, Thomas 9 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: said its in, It's cool and everything. But Ruth Graves 10 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie. Yeah, you know. I 11 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: celebrate her as often as I can. Indeed, Yeah, And 12 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: she invented the chocolate chip cookie. And she was the 13 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:06,559 Speaker 1: owner of the toll House in in Whitman, Massachusetts. Toll 14 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: house cookies not women cookies, although I wonder if she 15 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:17,479 Speaker 1: also invented the Whitman sampler. She is my favorite. Oh really, Oh, 16 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: I'd rather have a cookie than a woman sample. And 17 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 1: if you're gonna pile sweets around me, I don't really 18 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: care who you are or what you invented. Oh man, 19 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: so many, so many of rad Ruth's. We had a 20 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: notorious RBG. We've got a chocolate chip cookie, Ruth. So 21 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: talking about just women inventing things, cookies, what have you? 22 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: That would be a thirty hour conversation. At least it 23 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: would be several thirty hour conversations because women are people 24 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: and they've invented amazing things. So buckle up, get your 25 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: cookies for this podcast, Part one of seven. Um No, 26 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: we wanted to zero in on the patent gap because 27 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: obviously inventions, innovation intimately tied up with patents securing the 28 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: property rights to those inventions. And that's a seminty listener 29 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: might expect. There have been some institutional factors that have 30 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: prevented women from getting the same types of numbers in 31 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: the patent game that as men have. In addition to 32 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: our hysterical uteruses you know, yeah, always been. It's it's 33 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: tough to invent when you're when you're insights are screaming 34 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: for a baby, just bouncing around in their baby lists. 35 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: Um well, first of all, okay, let me give you 36 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: just a short definition of what a patent is. Basically, uh, 37 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: it's property rights that the inventor gets, usually for a 38 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: term of about twenty years to quote exclude others from making, using, 39 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: offering for sale, or selling the invention in the US, 40 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: or importing it into the US. And there's three types. 41 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: Uh there's the utility patent, which is basically you have 42 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: made a new machine or thing. Uh. There's the design patent, 43 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: where you've made a new design for the thing. And 44 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: then there's the plant patent, which has nothing to do 45 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: with the thing. It's when you've invented or discovered and 46 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: a sexually reproduced any new variety of plant. I would 47 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: also propose a fourth category, which is the troll patent, 48 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: such as, since this is a podcast, we got to 49 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: mention the podcast patentrol. Where where the fella? Uh? This 50 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: guy a few years ago now patented a very vague 51 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: description of like Internet mediated broadcast, which is basically the 52 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: definition of a podcast. And he then used that patent 53 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: to try to bring a bunch of lawsuits unsuccessfully to 54 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: shows including The House, Stuff Works Brother Podcast Stuff You 55 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: should know. Yeah, I mean he basically just went after 56 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: like famous Yeah, Mark Marone, Mark Maroon, Marshmarow Marho, Marshmallow 57 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: Maron on WTF and uh this American Life also had 58 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: to deal with it. Any who, I like the etymology 59 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: of patent that you found, Caroline. Um, it's it's kind 60 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: of romantic in a way. Yeah. So medieval rulers would 61 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: grant these things called literally potentes Latin for open letters, 62 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: to publicly confer certain rights and privileges on folks. It 63 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: just sounds so fancy litterai potentase. It's almost like potatoes, 64 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: literary potatoes. Oh hello, sounds delicious, scalloped uh. And a 65 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: lot of the earliest patent stuff comes out of Italy. 66 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: So in fourteen one we get possibly the first industrial 67 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: patent filed for this whole crane system used to ship 68 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: and transport marble. Uh. And in the fourteen seventies you 69 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: start to see a lot of patents being used for 70 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: stuff about glass in particular. Um. First they were to 71 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: protect the Venetian glass blowers trade, but also in England. 72 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: The first recorded patent of and mention was granted by 73 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: King Henry the sixth in fourteen forty nine to this 74 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: Flemish guy named John. You don't need to know his 75 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: last name, because I'm pretty sure he didn't have one, 76 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: but he basically developed a new way of making staying glass. 77 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: And the whole thing was like Okay, John, you're Flemish John. 78 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,599 Speaker 1: Flemish John. Um, you're fine, but you and you have 79 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: the rights to this glassmaking thing, but you've got to 80 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: teach your fellow Englishman how to do it eventually, which 81 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: basically translated into the birth of the modern patent system. 82 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: That's kind of sneaky though, like Flemish John will give 83 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: his patent, but you gotta tell us how you do 84 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: all your stuff. Well. Yeah, and so when we move 85 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: over to colonial America, it's a similar system, and it's 86 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: called limited monopolies, which is basically like the definition of patents. 87 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: I just gave you, like you, it's your thing. Nobody 88 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: else can make it or sell it or profit from it, 89 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: but only for a limited time. And the patent system 90 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: was even ensured in the U s Constitution by the 91 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: Founding Fathers. They wanted to secure for limited times these 92 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: artistic and scientific innovations so that inventors could have exclusive 93 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: rights to them. Yeah, and and I never considered how 94 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: the Founding Fathers wanted to set up the system in 95 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:23,280 Speaker 1: order to promote scientific and artistic progress, and women were 96 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: also in on the scientific and artistic progress, even though 97 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: obviously there has historically been why gender gap largely due 98 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: to gender roles and institutional issues that will get into 99 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: But even back in colonial times, you still have uh 100 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,840 Speaker 1: sisters doing it for themselves, really driven and still rings 101 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: true today, driven out of necessity to save some time. 102 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, seven seventeen fifteen, Sibila Masters invents this way 103 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: to clean and refine corn and then process us it 104 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: into different food and cloth products. And she's awesome because 105 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: this is the first patent issued to a man or 106 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: a woman and recorded American history. But yeah, but the 107 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: patent was actually issued in her husband's name because at 108 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: the time women couldn't register. Now, what a hoot it 109 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: would be if her husband's name was also flemished John. 110 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: In that case, I'd be more okay with us. And 111 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: when you look at the period between seventeen eighteen sixty, 112 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: throughout that whole stretch, only seventies seven patents were credited 113 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: to women inventors. But still they were there, and the 114 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: fact that they are recorded at all is an indication 115 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: the A. Women were in the inventing game. B. A 116 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: lot of their names were probably lost to history or 117 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: covered up or credited to their husbands. And so you 118 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: see a number as low as seventy seven. You can 119 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: pretty much bet that there are a lot more women 120 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: in there somewhere, and that the number of patents does 121 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: not reflect the number of inventions. A woman might have 122 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: created some wonderful innovation, have invented something to make her life, 123 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: her daily life, her day in and day out, better, 124 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: doesn't mean she went and got a patent for it. 125 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: So those numbers don't reflect the entire story. Um, And 126 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: the entire story is a little convoluted because in we 127 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: get a woman who is very possibly the first woman 128 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: in the United States, now that we're not the colonies anymore, 129 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,960 Speaker 1: to receive a patent, and that's Hannah Slater. She filed 130 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: a patent for her method of making cotton sewing thread. 131 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: She married this guy who had a cotton mill, was like, well, 132 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: you've got a cotton mill, I've got an idea for thread, 133 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 1: and a beautiful match was made. I know. Well, I 134 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: love what happens in seven because it is an invention 135 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: born of geopolitical fashion emergency. Yeah, I think that's yeah, 136 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: that's the good way to say it. So at the time, 137 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,679 Speaker 1: we've got the Napoleonic Wars going on, and because of 138 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: that there was an embargo on the import of British goods, 139 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: which meant that women in the States couldn't get their hats, 140 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: and Mary Dixon Keys needed her hats. I mean more specifically, 141 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,280 Speaker 1: we're talking like bonnets, right, like fancy bonnets. Um. So 142 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: she was like, I'm going to pull a him gunn 143 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: and make it work. So she patented this innovative way 144 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: to make straw hats. President James Madison signed her patent, 145 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: and First Lady Dolly Madison Caroline's ancestor. It's true, she's 146 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: my second cousin six times removed. Oh my gosh. Yeah, 147 00:09:58,280 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: because her maid name is Pain. I've got a lot 148 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 1: to pains and coals is in my family. It's fine, 149 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 1: we can talk later. You don't want to email me, 150 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: probably need some secret service detail. Yeah, you're right, you're right, 151 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: but your your cousin. Dolly reportedly wrote the Keys and 152 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: congratulated her for helping women in the industry. I love that. 153 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: She's like, hey, you're a lady inventor. That's awesome. And 154 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: Dolly Madison was kind of known as like a really 155 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: great first lady. She was kind of a Michelle Obama 156 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: of her time. She was like a great hostess. Everybody 157 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:30,959 Speaker 1: thought she was a lot of fun. She was really 158 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: nice and everybody wanted to hang out with her. They 159 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: were like, James Madison, you're cool. I mean, you're the president, 160 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: but dollies where it's at, and so I love it. 161 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: Mary Dixon Keys got this letter from Dolly Madison and 162 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: got a patent for her design. But of course there's 163 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: another layer to Marry Dixon Keys's hat patent her hatent um, 164 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: because the thing is, she wasn't the first to come 165 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: up with this wonderfully innovative way of making up for 166 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,080 Speaker 1: the fact that she couldn't get her English bond it 167 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: in the mail. She was just the first to patent it. Uh. 168 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: The credit for developing this way of uh innovatively weaving 169 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: together straw and silk that probably goes to one Betsy Metcalf, 170 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 1: whose idea sparked a straw hat extravaganza in New England. Um, 171 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: but she didn't patent her technique. Oh Betsy, Yeah, And 172 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: so what was so great about Betsy Metcalf and Mary 173 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: Dixon Keys And why I'm sure Dolly Madison was like, hey, 174 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: good job, ladies, is that this was a way for 175 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:42,319 Speaker 1: women to make money and not necessarily leave the house. 176 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: I mean it was still very like women's sphere specific, 177 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: you know, it was still all about that fashion, you know, 178 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: very gendered realm. But it was still a way to 179 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 1: say like, hey, I can be innovative. I have an 180 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: idea and it's gonna catch on, and I'm awesome, and 181 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make that money. I hope they said all 182 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: of that in their films. You know, I'm awesome and 183 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: I gotta make that money. The best revenge is your paper. Uh. 184 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:17,599 Speaker 1: Someone once said, so, Caroline. I have run across the 185 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,079 Speaker 1: number of women inventors in the the years that we've 186 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: done stuff Mom never told you over on the stuff 187 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: Mom Never told you website. We have a women Inventor 188 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,559 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame that needs some more people, frankly, because 189 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 1: we have inventors that I had never discovered before, such 190 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: as Massachusetts shaker Tabitha Babbitt, who in eighteen thirteen or 191 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 1: roundabouts there invented the circular saw. Yeah, I have no 192 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: idea and spoiler spoiler, Tabatha Babbit is a wonderful but 193 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: sad example of how the number of patents does not 194 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: reflect women's innovation per se. Because while she invented it, 195 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: she didn't patent it. So Babbitt, you know, she's a shaker. 196 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: She's sitting in her house, she is weaving things. I'm 197 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,719 Speaker 1: not making that up, um, and she's watching man at 198 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: the sawmill down the street using an old back and 199 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,679 Speaker 1: forth saw and was like, did's dude. It's like, I 200 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: feel like a circular saw would be way more efficient 201 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: and easy to use. She makes a prototype, attaches the 202 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,959 Speaker 1: blade to the axle of her weaving machine like a boss, 203 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 1: uses it at a high rate of speed, successfully testing it, 204 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:42,360 Speaker 1: and it's like cool, Well it's written about the local news. 205 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: It's like, oh, Tabitha, Tabatha baby, this is amazing. This 206 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: is tremendous um. And some French guys were like reading 207 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: the newspaper and they were like, hey, tabitha house and 208 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: patent to this. So some French guys got the patent 209 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: for the design. And I just wanted to include that 210 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: magic story because you have to know. And as Sminty listeners, 211 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: you guys are smart, you love us, your loyal listeners. 212 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: You know that women were in the game just because 213 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: they weren't represented by numbers. So we have to tell 214 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: you about Tabitha well, and also don't we still have 215 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: conversations today about proppropriation or fella fellas have a tendency, 216 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: not always intentionally hashtag not all men of poaching women's ideas, 217 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: even just in in the prom Yeah. Um, But let's 218 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: get back to the wild West, shall we, because this 219 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: is really important to note that after the Civil War, 220 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: women out west saw the highest rate of increase in 221 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: patenting because first of all, you know, what is it? 222 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: Necessity is the mother of invention? Yeah, literally, so you're 223 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: out west, like, you gotta figure some stuff out, so 224 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: you make do you make it work? Like Tim Gunn, 225 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: which fosters in a vey shin. But you also have 226 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: these frontier states being at the forefront of granting women's rights. 227 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: And on top of that too, you have a quote 228 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 1: lack of surplus low wage black labor that was available 229 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 1: as domestic workers in the South, so sisters had to 230 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: literally white sisters had to do more for themselves. And 231 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: side note, in the early eighteen seventies, the U. S. 232 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: Patent Office hired its first female patent examiner. I don't 233 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: know her name. I couldn't find it internet. You failed me. 234 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: Flemish Jane. There we go Flemish Jane Doe. But she 235 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: was a flem pH l Flem because she's always she 236 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: always had a scratchy throughout. It's weird. We don't know 237 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: her name, but we know about her allergy. Yeah, it's 238 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: funny what history records. Yeah, And in eighteen seventy six, 239 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: the total cumulative number of patents granted to women was 240 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: just a thousand, but that number more than doubled by 241 00:15:55,520 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: the nineties. So what is going on. Well, much out west, 242 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: we start to see more women kind of entering public life. 243 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: There's they have higher labor market participation and greater access 244 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: to education, and there were a lot of legal reforms 245 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: going on that granted women more economic and property rights. 246 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: Because remember, patents are property rights, and so it's no 247 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 1: wonder that there were so few patents among women early 248 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: on in the game because women in general didn't have 249 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: property rights, let alone patent rights. And so it wasn't 250 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: until eight forty five that married women in New York 251 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: could have patent rights, i e. Property rights. So there's 252 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 1: a lot of that benevolent sexism going on with like 253 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: property rights, and that just extended to ideas about patents 254 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: and innovation, because in order for women to obtain those 255 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: property rights, they had to shake off the shackles of 256 00:16:55,360 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: being legally rendered property of their fathers or their husband ends. 257 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: So it's kind of amazing that women were even doing this, 258 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: even if it was not that many. Um. But also 259 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: props to Scientific American, which way back in the day 260 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: was running editorials advising women on the commercial profitability of 261 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: these small inventions that might appear less technologically demanding. Yeah, 262 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 1: I mean, you've got more and more information basically being 263 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: disseminated to women about like, hey, you can do this too, 264 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: and like we're not necessarily going to encourage you to 265 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: invent you know, a John Dear tractor. Jane, Yeah, he's 266 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: got it. We can't change history, um, but we can 267 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,120 Speaker 1: at least encourage you to get in on the game 268 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: in terms of smaller household things that can make your 269 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: life and presumably other housewives lives better. Well. Listen, I 270 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: do not consider a sewing machine to be a small thing. 271 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: My mother is a seamstress, and who that that lady 272 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 1: may aid much of my whoad rowe as a child. 273 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:09,719 Speaker 1: And I mentioned that because Helen Blanchard held twenty one 274 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: sewing machine patents, and she is an example of how 275 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:18,119 Speaker 1: of thecent of women, not many, but fifteen percent of 276 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: women who qualified as multiple inventors and patent teas often 277 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 1: focused on those domestic articles and machines. That's right, and 278 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: I mean cost was a barrier too, not just for 279 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,719 Speaker 1: women but in general if you wanted to patent your innovation. 280 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: Be Zerina Khan, who's the author of the Democratization of Invention, 281 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,800 Speaker 1: found that oftentimes when you look at those old patents, 282 00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: patent lawyers and agents were often listed alongside the female inventor, 283 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: suggesting that there were women out there who might have 284 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 1: traded part of their property rights as payment for patent 285 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: application service fees. And I wonder how much that financial 286 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 1: barrier to protecting your intellectual property UM is still a 287 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 1: factor today in terms of the diversity of patent holders 288 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: in the United States, because it's patents are not free. 289 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 1: In protecting your intellectual property is not free either. It 290 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: takes time and money and often a lawyer. UM. So 291 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: if if people listening know about that, I am curious 292 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: to get more insights. But having back to four, speaking 293 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: of diversity, UM, we have seamstress. Judy Reid who was 294 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: quite possibly the first African American woman to receive a patent. 295 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: She applied for one for her dough kneader and roller, 296 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,520 Speaker 1: which was an improvement to existing leaders that allowed dough 297 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,680 Speaker 1: to mix more evenly and not get contaminated. Oh MPs. 298 00:19:55,720 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: Judy Reid was not even literate, but she still was inventing. Yeah, exactly, exactly, 299 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: So there were obviously these women that were telling you 300 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 1: about are great examples of how innovation, inventiveness, genius is 301 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,159 Speaker 1: not limited to one economic class. And why did Kristen 302 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,159 Speaker 1: say she's quite possibly the first African American woman to 303 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,959 Speaker 1: receive a patent, Well, it was not uncommon, especially at 304 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: this time, for women to use just their initials to 305 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,679 Speaker 1: hide their gender, and those early applications certainly did not 306 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:33,239 Speaker 1: ask for your race or your ethnicity. And so just 307 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,160 Speaker 1: as I'm sure there are women hidden from history who 308 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: patented things and invented things, I'm sure there are women 309 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 1: of color as well in those numbers. And being a 310 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: woman from higher class and with wider skin might have 311 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: afforded you uh more opportunity in terms of developing your inventions, 312 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: such as one Josephine Garis Cochrane, who was the daughter 313 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: or of an engineer and hold Josephine was just fed 314 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 1: up with her servants constantly breaking her dishes. So Josephine 315 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 1: rolls up her sleeves and designs and patents an early 316 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 1: motorized dishwasher side note, thank you, um, and she establishes 317 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 1: the Garris Cochrane dishwashing Machine Company. In The machine was 318 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: shown at the Chicago Exhibition and won an award for 319 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: quote the best mechanical construction for durability and adaptation to 320 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 1: its line of work. So no small literary potatoes there. 321 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 1: I love that, um, and at the exhibition, and this 322 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,360 Speaker 1: is something that con writes about two in the democratization 323 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: of invention. The vast majority of the women inventors who 324 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: were at the event were indeed submitting household product inventions 325 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 1: and wanted that boost in sales and publicity that the 326 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: event would inevitably bring. And this was yet another way 327 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: to claim fair compensation. Hey, I can't get an office 328 00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 1: job outside the house, Well, I can invent a dishwasher 329 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: or a done eater or something like that, and you 330 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:17,880 Speaker 1: can pay me my money. But there was some other 331 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,360 Speaker 1: stuff going on at the exhibition to the world's Congress 332 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:25,639 Speaker 1: of Republican Women met there to celebrate the advances of women. Yea, 333 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: women are inventing. Let's get together and have a party. 334 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: But these middle class white ladies who were members of 335 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: the Congress of Republican Women were not too just on 336 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: women inventors who created stereotypically feminine products that might quote 337 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: cause us to lose ground. They didn't want to highlight 338 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: any inventions unless they were quite distinguished and brilliant. That's 339 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 1: a quote, meaning that these women who claimed to be 340 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 1: actively fighting for women's rights and advancement, we're instead actively 341 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: denigrating a large chunk of innovative women, including women who 342 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: made a lot of money off of these household and 343 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: fashion innovations. I mean, there were a lot of women 344 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: at the time making good money off of corset innovations 345 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: and things like cycling skirts. And they were like, oh, 346 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: you know, course it's fashion done eaters corn huskers, like 347 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,640 Speaker 1: this is all household garbage. You need to be creating 348 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:29,359 Speaker 1: the John Dear tractor or whatever. Um, it's a little 349 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: feminine mystique ish where it's it's smacks of femphobias saying 350 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: that you know, we we can't we need to shirk 351 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: off any vestiges of femininity in order to be respected 352 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: by men. Yeah, you're ladies like that, you're missing the 353 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: whole point that these women are innovating and they're doing 354 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:53,360 Speaker 1: it with what they can the resources that are available 355 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: to them. And keep in mind too, like this totally 356 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:59,680 Speaker 1: made me think of femphobia as well, because like, yes, 357 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,440 Speaker 1: women were coming up with household innovations, fashion innovations, but 358 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: by and large, of course, men still held the majority 359 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,639 Speaker 1: of those innovations, particularly when it came to fashion and 360 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,439 Speaker 1: things like course, it's but their inventions weren't poo pooed. 361 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 1: It's only the women who came up with developments in 362 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: fashion and household stuff that these for just for example, 363 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: that the World's Congress of Republican Women were like yeah, well, 364 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: and this goes to an attitude that's still held today 365 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: that marginalizes so called micro inventions like Judy reads Donader, 366 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:44,360 Speaker 1: where it is an improvement on an existing machine um, 367 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 1: and those those incremental steps are important in our history 368 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: of innovation. It's not only the macro innovations, the lightbulb 369 00:24:55,000 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: um that is worthwhile and worth considering to be innovative. Yeah, 370 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: and I mean, you know, we we've talked about women 371 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:09,679 Speaker 1: trying to earn fair compensation by patenting their advancements, but 372 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: it didn't always work out that way. Mary Dixon Keys, 373 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: for instance, the Bonnet Ladies, she died penniless. And Mary Anderson, 374 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 1: who actually patented the windshield wiper people. Uh, it's not 375 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: known whether she even profited from that. She's from Alabama. 376 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: She was riding in a New York City street car 377 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,280 Speaker 1: and was like, holy crap, it's uncomfortable when we're in 378 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 1: a blizzard and the driver has to open the window 379 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,159 Speaker 1: and stick his head out to see what's going on 380 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: with oncoming traffic. And you know, of course, of course, 381 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,679 Speaker 1: is anyone surprised that she had a ton of detractors 382 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 1: at the time, not only because she was a woman inventing, 383 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:49,920 Speaker 1: but also because they were really scared that wind show 384 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 1: wipers were going to distract drivers. Yeah, and so it's yeah, 385 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: nobody knows whether she even made that paper off of 386 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 1: those windshow wipers. But I just love noting that that. 387 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: You know, so many women have been driven by necessity 388 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: and and experience, and you just have to be you 389 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: have to have the right opportunity and the right drive 390 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: to grab that chance when you see it, as Mary 391 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,640 Speaker 1: Anderson did, because she's like, oh this is uncomfortable. I'm 392 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: going to do my part to change it. And you 393 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: see the same kind of thing when it comes to 394 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,959 Speaker 1: menstrual products. I mean, we talked a lot about this 395 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 1: obviously in our Minstrel Cup episode. But one menstrul one, 396 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:39,159 Speaker 1: menstreul innovator, menstru menstrul No, that's not right, that that's weird. 397 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 1: Um is one Lillian Gilbreath, and she was active in 398 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: the nineteen twenties and generally people like she's a badass, 399 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,159 Speaker 1: like she deserves her own episode. We mentioned her in 400 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: our episode on women and engineering. Yeah, oh well yeah. 401 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:59,240 Speaker 1: She was an industrial psychologist and engineer, and she was 402 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: one of the first male engineers with a PhD in 403 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,439 Speaker 1: the United States. And in addition to all of the 404 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 1: amazing innovations she did, you know, she she made your 405 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 1: fridge door shelves. Hey, thanks, I like to put my 406 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:17,160 Speaker 1: condiments there. She also invented the foot pedal trash can. 407 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: Hey it's handy. I like to put my condiments in 408 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,199 Speaker 1: there when they're done, when they're empty. Um. But she 409 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:27,920 Speaker 1: also reinvented the pad, the Maxi pad, the Maxi pad, 410 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 1: should we call it the Lilian pad? Then totally pad? Well, 411 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 1: so you know, and of course you know, I can 412 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: hear some people out there being like, but I hate 413 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: I hate pads. Well, I guarantee that whatever pad you 414 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: might have used is not as bad as the pads 415 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,720 Speaker 1: that women in the nineteen twenties were using. So Lilian 416 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,399 Speaker 1: Gilberth didn't just decide the pad needed to be reinvented. 417 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:54,399 Speaker 1: She researched the best way to do it, and that 418 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: involved interviewing more than a thousand women about their loves 419 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: and hates that came to menstrual pads. And one of 420 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: the big hates that women had was the names. I 421 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: don't think I've ever heard about this before. The names 422 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: were things like the ss napkin and flushed down. Ideal 423 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: women were like, guys, this is embarrassing, okay, as someone 424 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: with an anchor tattoo, I kind of love the s 425 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 1: S napkin. Well, And so she talked to these women 426 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:33,000 Speaker 1: about their ideal pad and about Hello pinterest, about the 427 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 1: hacks that women were relying on to make those bulky 428 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,480 Speaker 1: early pads less visible and and just better able to 429 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 1: fit their body shape. Okay, and here's the thing as 430 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: all of this is happening, as Lillian is being a 431 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 1: total genius p s. She had twelve kids. Yeah, and 432 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 1: her husband died, leaving her with eleven children under nineteen. Yeah, 433 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 1: so she's the inspiration for she or by the dozen. 434 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: And in addition to as you might imagine her engineering prowess, 435 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: she was also excellent with time management technique, isn't she. 436 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: She's called like the mother of management or yeah. Yeah, 437 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: we really should go back and spend more time with 438 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: the Lily Pad. But we have to talk about women 439 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: today in the patent situation going on, and we're going 440 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: to do that when we come right back from a 441 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: quick break. So I'd like to say that, jumping forward 442 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: from Lilian Gilbert's redesigned Menstrual Pad, that women have made 443 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: so many strides and we are now completely equal when 444 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 1: it comes to patents, and um, that's not true, because 445 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,680 Speaker 1: there is a patent gap still in this country. So 446 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: this is coming from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 447 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 1: who noted that since nineteen women's representation among patent holders 448 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 1: has more than Quinn tuppled. Good news all the snaps, 449 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: but fewer than of all patents had even one woman 450 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: inventor in so a lot of progress, but still, you 451 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 1: know we've got we've got a really big gender gap. Yeah, 452 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,800 Speaker 1: there's there's room to evolve. And when a woman is involved, 453 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,400 Speaker 1: they found she's rarely the primary inventor on a patent. 454 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 1: Of the nearly ninetent of patents that included at least 455 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 1: one woman inventor in at all, only seven point seven 456 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: percent listed a woman as the primary inventor. And when 457 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: women are in fact listed as the primary inventor, most 458 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:58,520 Speaker 1: of those inventions, again still are concentrated in patent technologies 459 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: that are associated with tradtionally quote unquote female roles, such 460 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: as innovations and jewelry and apparel. But again I would 461 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 1: say that those innovations are just as important. I feel 462 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: like it was a woman who invented like the magnet 463 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: bracelet so important. I can never get a bracelet on 464 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:17,800 Speaker 1: the magnet brace you know what I'm talking about. We're 465 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: instead of a class that you have to fiddle with 466 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: your bracelet snaps together with magnets. I wanted when I 467 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: was a child to invent a handbag that lit up 468 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:34,080 Speaker 1: when you opened it. Because my mom would carry around 469 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: this bag. It was like the Mary Poppins bag, had 470 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: so much stuff in it and she could never find anything. 471 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:43,120 Speaker 1: And I thought that that would be super helpful for her. 472 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:47,880 Speaker 1: And I remember trying to draw it and listeners. I 473 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: can barely draw a stick figure, so it didn't go 474 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,400 Speaker 1: too far. But my dad was very encouraging of it. 475 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,720 Speaker 1: In particular, I remember him being like, you should sell 476 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 1: that to Macy's, so maybe, you know, maybe maybe I'll 477 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 1: pick that back up, although I think that that definitely 478 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: now exists now. I love the patent office at Macy's. 479 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: It's really the cozy. There's always a sale um. And 480 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: this report also found that patents that have any women 481 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,480 Speaker 1: inventors at all, not just primary inventors, tend to span 482 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 1: a greater variety of patent classes, which I thought was interesting. 483 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 1: But and there's always a but, I hate it. At 484 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: the current rate of progress, women are not expected to 485 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 1: reach patent parity until two and the reason why relates 486 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,800 Speaker 1: to so many conversations now that we've had about pipeline 487 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: problems in stem fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, 488 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: where a lot of patents today come from. Study, for instance, 489 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:57,520 Speaker 1: blamed gender segregation within STEM fields for thirty one per 490 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: cent of the commercial patenting gap, and it found that 491 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: increases in women's patenting were associated with increases in the 492 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,920 Speaker 1: share of STEM degrees they get. So it's makes sense. 493 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 1: It two way street there, Yeah, it makes sense, makes sense. 494 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 1: But others say that the pipeline issue is really just 495 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: one aspect of the problem. Karen Frankel, who wrote a 496 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: piece in for the Association of Computing Machinery, said that 497 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: women with such degrees are barely more likely to patent 498 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 1: than women who lack them. What she says that it 499 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: actually has more to do with women being underrepresented, specifically 500 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:40,600 Speaker 1: in patent intensive STEM branches like engineering, especially electrical and 501 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:44,479 Speaker 1: mechanical engineering, and jobs like development and design. So a 502 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 1: lot of our patents are coming from developers in electrical 503 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: and mechanical engineering, and if women aren't there, they're not 504 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:58,120 Speaker 1: going to be as likely to create those innovative patents. 505 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 1: Right Because as of twenty ten, women were earning nineteen 506 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 1: percent of engineering degrees and twenty one percent of computer 507 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,880 Speaker 1: science degrees, both of which are very patent heavy fields, 508 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:15,680 Speaker 1: compared to fifty eight percent of biological science degrees, and 509 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:19,399 Speaker 1: there are some notable side effects of women's low rate 510 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: of patenting. It really can contribute to this notion that 511 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: women tackle less challenging or less important scientific problems. And 512 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,319 Speaker 1: this is a notion that was both studied and put 513 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,800 Speaker 1: to rest by a recent study from Harvard, M I T, 514 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,920 Speaker 1: and UC Berkeley. It has nothing to do with the 515 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,760 Speaker 1: you know, perceived or real level of difficulty of issues 516 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: that women are tackling. And the whole gendering of genius 517 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,839 Speaker 1: and innovation is a masculine thing, correct, So how did 518 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 1: that study then dispel that myth? So basically, they looked 519 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: at just over four thousand individuals with at least five 520 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: years of experience as university researchers, and they showed no 521 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: evidence that women do less significant work than men in 522 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:10,240 Speaker 1: fields like biochemistry, genetics, organic chemistry, health sciences, and related areas. 523 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:14,560 Speaker 1: Women are doing the same types of work that men are. 524 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 1: And another notable side effect of women's lower rates of 525 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 1: patenting is their access to VC funding venture capital funding. 526 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:31,320 Speaker 1: There was a fourteen study that pointed out that hey 527 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,760 Speaker 1: makes sense, holding a patent can help a person secure 528 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: venture capital. UH startup managers report that seventy six percent 529 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:44,279 Speaker 1: of VC investors consider patents when they're making those funding decisions, 530 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:50,240 Speaker 1: and patent applications can signal the quality of people's research 531 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 1: and work, and it might be part of why only 532 00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:00,760 Speaker 1: about three percent of venture capital funding goes to women 533 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:04,759 Speaker 1: owned companies, and men are four times as likely to 534 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:09,359 Speaker 1: have received outsider equity to finance their businesses. I mean, 535 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: the venture capital world is a whole other ball of 536 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:18,360 Speaker 1: wax in and of itself, but worthwhile to consider how 537 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:22,879 Speaker 1: patents figure into that too, and also the doors, just 538 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 1: the almost networking doors, career doors that it opens. Aside 539 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,319 Speaker 1: from helping you start your business if you have a 540 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 1: patent that helps you get royalties obviously, but consulting fees 541 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 1: as well and landing paid memberships on corporate boards. UM. 542 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: In that same Harvard M I T. And you see 543 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: Berkeley study though out of seven D seventy one scientific 544 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:52,800 Speaker 1: advisory board members in their sample of biomedical companies, only 545 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:56,439 Speaker 1: six point five percent were women. Yeah, and I mean 546 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:58,480 Speaker 1: to add another layer to all of this, you have 547 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: to take into account the strength of those mostly male 548 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:06,719 Speaker 1: professional networks. UM. Having solid industry contacts is a strong 549 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 1: predictor of patenting involvement. But women, according to that study, 550 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:15,560 Speaker 1: tend to have smaller and lower level professional networks than 551 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: their male counterparts, the whole like old boys club thing. 552 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 1: Like that's a real factor. You need to have those connections. 553 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:26,640 Speaker 1: And so are there places where women are rocking the 554 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:31,760 Speaker 1: patent process? Yeah? Just not the United States? Oh okay, 555 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: so this is coming from Indiana University in Bloomington's also 556 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: shout out to Bloomington's you have a lovely, lovely city, 557 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 1: and I'd love to come back sometime. Uh. This came 558 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:47,799 Speaker 1: out though in July, and the research found that the 559 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: rate of patents with women's names was highest in Eastern Europe, 560 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:57,040 Speaker 1: Asia and several African countries. And this is sort of 561 00:37:57,040 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: a similar pattern that we see in Stemfield UM and 562 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:06,360 Speaker 1: uh narrower gender gaps, if not parody in computer science 563 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:10,440 Speaker 1: in particular. And the study also notes that you have 564 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: greater patent parity in communists and former communist countries. Yeah. 565 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 1: So so so there we go back to the U 566 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: S s are we go? Yeah? I wonder why that is, though, 567 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: and I'm sure that there's someone listening who can explain 568 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,440 Speaker 1: that to us. But I remember reading this um in 569 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:34,560 Speaker 1: preparation for this episode, and it was almost like a 570 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,560 Speaker 1: little cliffhanger these researchers left where it was like, oh 571 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,439 Speaker 1: yeah and ps communism and that's it. So I'm tries 572 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: to know more about that. The lines of former communist 573 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 1: countries are the same lines where there's better stem invention 574 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:53,279 Speaker 1: and patent parody. It's very interesting and I hope we 575 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:56,840 Speaker 1: do get letters about that, UM. But also the realm 576 00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:00,600 Speaker 1: of academia UM. The number of women across the globe 577 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,160 Speaker 1: finding patents with the U S. Patent and Trade Office 578 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:07,239 Speaker 1: over the past forty years has risen fastest within academia 579 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 1: compared to all other sectors of the innovation economy, and 580 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,120 Speaker 1: it bumped up from an average of two to three 581 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:18,240 Speaker 1: percent across all areas to eighteen percent in academia compared 582 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:22,520 Speaker 1: to just ten percent in industry, for example. And there's 583 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:26,840 Speaker 1: some like legal framework stuff going on that helps explain that. UM. 584 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 1: The Bay Dull Act of nineteen eighty meant that university 585 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,160 Speaker 1: has got to keep the title to the invention, remember 586 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:37,760 Speaker 1: property rights and and financial benefits UH to the invention, 587 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 1: and take the lead in patenting and licensing discoveries that 588 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:44,879 Speaker 1: were made through that federally funded research. But there are 589 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:50,040 Speaker 1: you know, there's some controversy over profiting from federally funded 590 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:56,760 Speaker 1: university research. UM and lead study author Cassidy Sugimoto says 591 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:03,240 Speaker 1: that university's unique emphasis on intellectual communities really helps women. 592 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:07,160 Speaker 1: It's a boon to their creation, innovation, and patenting in 593 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:11,560 Speaker 1: the academic environment versus the isolation. She says that many 594 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:15,960 Speaker 1: women might feel if they pursue entrepreneurship and industry, for instance. 595 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:19,920 Speaker 1: But there are so many butts in this episode, Caroline, 596 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,239 Speaker 1: a lot of big butts, so many big butts. Going 597 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:25,040 Speaker 1: back to that Harvard m I T and you see 598 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:29,400 Speaker 1: Berkeley study from two thousand six. When you were describing 599 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 1: it earlier, you mentioned how the Old Boys Club is 600 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:37,920 Speaker 1: very much real in the realm of patenting and invention, 601 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: and that's something that the study really emphasized of how 602 00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:46,839 Speaker 1: women academics, female faculty members, specifically in life sciences, where 603 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:51,240 Speaker 1: you have greater UH female participation, they still receive patents 604 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:55,600 Speaker 1: at only the rate of men. So even when you 605 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: have more women in the field, that doesn't necessarily mean 606 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:01,839 Speaker 1: that the patents catch up to them because there is 607 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:05,320 Speaker 1: no Old Girls network. Although it sounds amazing, that sounds 608 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:07,359 Speaker 1: like golden girls, I want to go there well now, 609 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:10,359 Speaker 1: And they point out how important those links are, that 610 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:14,239 Speaker 1: women in academia need those bridges to not only their 611 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:18,960 Speaker 1: counterparts in commerce, but also counterparts in the pharmaceutical, biotech 612 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:23,600 Speaker 1: and chemical companies. And if you don't have that strong network, 613 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:26,560 Speaker 1: it can be very time consuming to determine whether your 614 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 1: idea is even commercially relevant. And men in the Harvard 615 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:36,360 Speaker 1: study described having an industry contact not as a benefit, 616 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:39,359 Speaker 1: not as a cool thing to have, but literally as 617 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:43,359 Speaker 1: a precursor to patenting well. And also, if you're a 618 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:47,240 Speaker 1: woman in academia, you have very little time to spare, 619 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:52,919 Speaker 1: and this study also highlighted how women faculty in these 620 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:56,759 Speaker 1: life sciences as they were looking at We're also concerned 621 00:41:56,840 --> 00:42:02,239 Speaker 1: that going after commercial opportunities via patents might hold them 622 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:06,880 Speaker 1: back in their academic careers because there is only so 623 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:09,440 Speaker 1: much time in one day. And if we already have 624 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 1: these pipeline issues for women in stem fields because it's 625 00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 1: just really really hard to be a mother and a professor, 626 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:26,839 Speaker 1: than adding a patent holder on top of that, I'm 627 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:30,879 Speaker 1: sure can seem just unreasonable for a lot of people. Yeah, 628 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:34,560 Speaker 1: Toby Stewart, who's a business professor at UC Berkeley kind 629 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:36,520 Speaker 1: of summed up a lot of what we're talking about 630 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:38,960 Speaker 1: in a single quote. He said, a prominent male faculty 631 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 1: member may make noise at a university's technology transfer office 632 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,520 Speaker 1: if he doesn't get what he wants, and he also 633 00:42:45,600 --> 00:42:48,960 Speaker 1: has relationships outside the university, and he's more likely to 634 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:53,239 Speaker 1: know venture capitalists. Meanwhile, a female professor doesn't tend to 635 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: know as many people in the industry, and so that 636 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:58,200 Speaker 1: goes back to the Harvard studies point that not only 637 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:02,319 Speaker 1: are women academics typically not always, but typically concerned with 638 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:05,000 Speaker 1: like do I even have the freaking time. I don't 639 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: have the network sounding board to even tell me if 640 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:09,120 Speaker 1: this is a good idea to pursue. I'm already so busy. 641 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:13,080 Speaker 1: But also the collegiality aspect of it, is it gonna 642 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,440 Speaker 1: come off wrong if I'm trying to put myself head 643 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:20,560 Speaker 1: and shoulders above other people by innovating and patenting. Interestingly, though, 644 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,480 Speaker 1: speaking of golden girls, there is a generational gap. Oh, 645 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:27,000 Speaker 1: this isn't surprising to me at all that it's it's 646 00:43:27,239 --> 00:43:31,600 Speaker 1: getting better for women. Older women have experienced this statistically 647 00:43:31,719 --> 00:43:36,600 Speaker 1: more so than women who are earning PhDs today. So 648 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:40,360 Speaker 1: this is this is a positive but in our convo. Yeah, 649 00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:44,320 Speaker 1: I know we're butting back and forth, but but but 650 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:48,880 Speaker 1: but yeah, and and basically, uh, as you move forward 651 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:53,760 Speaker 1: in time, women getting their PhDs in particular are more 652 00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:57,840 Speaker 1: likely to look at the patent process and be like, yeah, totally, 653 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:00,799 Speaker 1: that's that's for me. And they are also tending to 654 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:04,760 Speaker 1: be more accepting of being both an academic and someone 655 00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:08,200 Speaker 1: doing commercial science. They're less likely to have quibbles, although 656 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:10,880 Speaker 1: I'm sure that's not true like across the board generally. 657 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,680 Speaker 1: Oh so, there's also the issue of it feeling like 658 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:18,640 Speaker 1: a literal almost sell out if you're an academic. That's 659 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:23,680 Speaker 1: another aspect of it. Oh huh oh people listening, patent 660 00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:26,840 Speaker 1: holders and people in these fields. I cannot wait to 661 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:31,000 Speaker 1: hear from you about this. And as we've also emphasized 662 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:33,759 Speaker 1: many times on the podcast, and a research bears this 663 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:39,400 Speaker 1: out top down sideways gender diversity, and I would also 664 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:47,919 Speaker 1: assume diversity, gender diversity, sexual orientation, diversity, economic diversity, diversity, 665 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:53,240 Speaker 1: foster's innovation. Yeah, I t patents with mixed sex teams 666 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:57,880 Speaker 1: tend to have more citations. But if you are looking 667 00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:01,439 Speaker 1: at men versus a hundred per at women. Men tend 668 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:05,680 Speaker 1: to have higher such impact scores basically citations, meaning like, 669 00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:09,000 Speaker 1: are other people building off of your innovation? Is your 670 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:12,359 Speaker 1: patent being cited in other patents? Are people looking at 671 00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:15,799 Speaker 1: your innovation and being like, Yes, that is amazing and inspirational, 672 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:17,520 Speaker 1: and I'm going to base some of my stuff off 673 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:21,440 Speaker 1: of it too. And also, you know, this goes back 674 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:23,879 Speaker 1: to Lily and Gilbreath, This goes back to so many 675 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:26,879 Speaker 1: of our women innovators that we've already talked about that 676 00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:30,319 Speaker 1: when you talk to the people who put up with 677 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:34,080 Speaker 1: a certain problem, those people are going to be better 678 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,319 Speaker 1: equipped to solve that problem. And so that goes back, 679 00:45:37,480 --> 00:45:42,040 Speaker 1: especially to menstruation. Pagan Kennedy wrote this great article in 680 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:46,040 Speaker 1: the New York Times and she talks about how, according 681 00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:50,560 Speaker 1: to the authors of the books Serial Innovators, one inventor 682 00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:53,160 Speaker 1: back at Procter and Gamble in the eighties said that 683 00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:58,360 Speaker 1: his bosses didn't care that women hated the huge, brick 684 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:01,759 Speaker 1: like sanitary pads that the company produced. And she's using 685 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,799 Speaker 1: that as an example of why that diversity in innovation 686 00:46:05,960 --> 00:46:10,320 Speaker 1: is so important. She looked at two hundred just tampon 687 00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:13,920 Speaker 1: related patents since nineteen seventy six and found that three 688 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,120 Speaker 1: out of four inventors behind them were men. Yeah, I mean, 689 00:46:17,160 --> 00:46:22,400 Speaker 1: so Lilyan Gilbrith a lily pad still still an exception. Yeah, 690 00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:24,359 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, and it's the same situation as 691 00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:27,479 Speaker 1: what's going on with the Chicago exposition and the women 692 00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:30,920 Speaker 1: upset about the household items because you still had fellows 693 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:36,160 Speaker 1: who were holding the majority of the lady related patents. Yeah. 694 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:40,640 Speaker 1: And so basically, going back to that Institute for Women's 695 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:44,840 Speaker 1: Policy Research report, they recommend that the U. S. Patent 696 00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:49,640 Speaker 1: and Trade Office get on the whole thing of tracking 697 00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:52,920 Speaker 1: women's progress in patenting build systems to do that, to 698 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:56,600 Speaker 1: know who is doing what, how much, how often, and 699 00:46:56,680 --> 00:47:03,480 Speaker 1: what progress is being made. Caroly, we've got a patent something, now, yeah, 700 00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:06,000 Speaker 1: we really do. I mean, obviously we don't want to 701 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:10,000 Speaker 1: say what our invention will be over these broadcast airwaves. 702 00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:13,640 Speaker 1: Someone might a Frenchman might steal a couple of frenchmen. 703 00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:17,800 Speaker 1: But this this does have me kind of kind of 704 00:47:17,840 --> 00:47:19,840 Speaker 1: wanting to try to patent something. Oh my god, I 705 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:22,440 Speaker 1: should try to do my my old handbag. There you go, 706 00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:25,520 Speaker 1: maybe you could. Well, you know, part of the patent 707 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:29,719 Speaker 1: process is you can't if you innovate something on top 708 00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:32,880 Speaker 1: of an innovation, if it's a new innovation. So maybe 709 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:35,640 Speaker 1: there's a better, different way you can do the light 710 00:47:35,719 --> 00:47:38,879 Speaker 1: up purse. Well, and well, you know, I think I'm 711 00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:40,880 Speaker 1: going to shelve the purse because we also have many 712 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:45,040 Speaker 1: fake C and C products that we have pitched on 713 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:48,400 Speaker 1: this podcast, including our branded menstrual cups. We got a 714 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:53,000 Speaker 1: lot to work with potentially, and also listeners, let's crowdsources thing. 715 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:55,640 Speaker 1: If you have ideas of what we should patent, please 716 00:47:55,719 --> 00:47:58,759 Speaker 1: let us know, and we're curious to hear from you. 717 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:02,000 Speaker 1: Are there any patent holders in the house, Let us 718 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,640 Speaker 1: know what it's like, anyone who has dealt with sort 719 00:48:05,640 --> 00:48:09,759 Speaker 1: of gender related issues when it comes to intellectual property. 720 00:48:10,000 --> 00:48:12,279 Speaker 1: Moms Stuff at how stuff works dot com is our 721 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:15,040 Speaker 1: email address. You can also tweet us at mom Stuff 722 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:18,040 Speaker 1: podcast or messages on Facebook and we've got a couple 723 00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:20,319 Speaker 1: of messages to share with you when we come right 724 00:48:20,360 --> 00:48:24,680 Speaker 1: back from a quick break. Hey out there, business listeners, 725 00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:27,160 Speaker 1: are you hiring? Do you know where to post your 726 00:48:27,239 --> 00:48:29,800 Speaker 1: job to find the best candidates. It can be hard 727 00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:33,080 Speaker 1: to find really quality candidates if you're having to post 728 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:35,719 Speaker 1: that job in so many different places and keep up 729 00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:39,319 Speaker 1: with so many different applications. With zipp recruiter dot com, 730 00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:42,920 Speaker 1: you can post your job to one hundred plus job sites, 731 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:47,520 Speaker 1: including social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, all of 732 00:48:47,560 --> 00:48:50,880 Speaker 1: a single click. They really make it streamlined and you 733 00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:54,160 Speaker 1: can find candidates in any city or industry nationwide. Just 734 00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:57,600 Speaker 1: post once and watch your qualified candidates rolland to zipp 735 00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:01,759 Speaker 1: recruiters easy to use interface, more juggling emails or calls 736 00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:05,000 Speaker 1: to your office. You can quickly screen candidates, rate them, 737 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: and hire the right person fast. So find out today 738 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:12,720 Speaker 1: why zip recruiter has been used by over one million businesses. 739 00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:16,440 Speaker 1: And right now, stuff mom never told you. Listeners can 740 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:20,120 Speaker 1: post jobs on zip recruiter for free by going to 741 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:26,200 Speaker 1: zip recruiter dot com slash women. That's zip recruiter dot 742 00:49:26,239 --> 00:49:30,440 Speaker 1: com slash women. And one more time, go on and 743 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:35,360 Speaker 1: try it for free at zip recruiter dot com slash women. 744 00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:43,160 Speaker 1: And now back to the show. All right, I have 745 00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:46,719 Speaker 1: one here from Rose. She says, I just wanted to 746 00:49:46,719 --> 00:49:49,880 Speaker 1: say thank you to you and all of the staff 747 00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:54,400 Speaker 1: members that spenty Rose. I'm laughing because it's just the 748 00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:56,759 Speaker 1: two of us, but thank you. I take that as 749 00:49:56,760 --> 00:49:59,960 Speaker 1: a compliment, she says, for helping me to greatly imp 750 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,239 Speaker 1: prove my life. I grew up in a very conservative, 751 00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:05,719 Speaker 1: male centric family, where I was expected to get a 752 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:08,759 Speaker 1: husband and start producing children as fast as possible, and 753 00:50:09,320 --> 00:50:12,200 Speaker 1: maybe hold down a part time job to help feed everyone. 754 00:50:12,600 --> 00:50:14,800 Speaker 1: Then I went through thirteen years of a very emotionally 755 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:18,120 Speaker 1: abusive relationship where my ex was having his own abusive 756 00:50:18,120 --> 00:50:21,520 Speaker 1: relationship with his mother and grandmother, and ended up developing 757 00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:24,640 Speaker 1: a fear and hatred of women in general. Fast forward 758 00:50:24,640 --> 00:50:27,680 Speaker 1: to now, I'm nearly thirty five years old, lacking a 759 00:50:27,719 --> 00:50:30,880 Speaker 1: sense of female identity. Literally, I did not feel comfortable 760 00:50:30,920 --> 00:50:34,719 Speaker 1: calling myself a woman, instead preferring the word girl. When 761 00:50:34,719 --> 00:50:37,319 Speaker 1: I stumbled onto Sminty, I listened to you in my 762 00:50:37,440 --> 00:50:40,240 Speaker 1: car as I drive around Seattle running my own super 763 00:50:40,280 --> 00:50:45,640 Speaker 1: successful in home cat care business, often laughing, crying and 764 00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:49,040 Speaker 1: smacking my forehead and awe. I have discovered so much 765 00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:52,840 Speaker 1: about my own body, sexuality, the struggles women face that 766 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 1: I thought were just my own, and history. I love history. 767 00:50:57,440 --> 00:51:01,600 Speaker 1: History about women is even better. Whenever a new episode 768 00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:03,319 Speaker 1: comes out, I can't wait to listen to it, often 769 00:51:03,320 --> 00:51:05,440 Speaker 1: putting it on the top of my very long queue. 770 00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:07,759 Speaker 1: Then I tell everyone I encounter I am trying to 771 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:09,759 Speaker 1: spread the word of Sminty as far and wide to 772 00:51:09,840 --> 00:51:12,719 Speaker 1: women and men alike. Keep up the great work, and 773 00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:16,319 Speaker 1: I can't wait to hear what fun topics come out next. Well, 774 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:19,480 Speaker 1: thank you, Rose, that's so sweet. Rose. I really can 775 00:51:19,480 --> 00:51:21,360 Speaker 1: we ride around with you someday if we come to 776 00:51:21,400 --> 00:51:24,560 Speaker 1: seatt All, because that sounds so fun. It sounds like 777 00:51:24,560 --> 00:51:26,960 Speaker 1: you have the best job ever. Um. So I have 778 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:30,240 Speaker 1: a letter here from Austin with a Y, who notes 779 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:33,480 Speaker 1: I'm a woman, but my parents gave me an unusually 780 00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:37,040 Speaker 1: masculine name. They thought adding a y would make it feminine. 781 00:51:37,640 --> 00:51:40,200 Speaker 1: I love that. I've never seen that spelling before. But 782 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:44,600 Speaker 1: Austin was writing in about our episode on sex objects 783 00:51:44,640 --> 00:51:48,680 Speaker 1: in the sky and flight attendants. So Austin has a 784 00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:53,400 Speaker 1: rich family history, particularly when it comes to United Airlines. 785 00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:57,520 Speaker 1: She writes, my great grandfather started working for United Airlines 786 00:51:57,520 --> 00:52:02,720 Speaker 1: in seven as a mechanic. My grandfather worked for United 787 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:06,360 Speaker 1: for forty years as an operations manager and is currently 788 00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:10,480 Speaker 1: the president of the United Airlines Historical Foundation. And my 789 00:52:10,600 --> 00:52:13,799 Speaker 1: mom worked for United as a customer service rep for 790 00:52:13,880 --> 00:52:18,200 Speaker 1: twenty one years. Also, her dad is a United retiree 791 00:52:18,239 --> 00:52:21,600 Speaker 1: and worked for United for thirty six years. Austin, I 792 00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:25,920 Speaker 1: hope that you get free United flights everywhere. But she 793 00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:28,200 Speaker 1: goes on to say, I was chatting with my grandma 794 00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:31,200 Speaker 1: and mom about your podcast and they reminded me of 795 00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:33,279 Speaker 1: something United did in the past that I thought you 796 00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:36,880 Speaker 1: would find interesting. In the nineties seventies, the airline offered 797 00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:41,439 Speaker 1: its frequent business travelers, mostly men, a bogo trip where 798 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:44,600 Speaker 1: their spouse could fly for free. It was very popular 799 00:52:44,719 --> 00:52:47,000 Speaker 1: and United sent thank you notes to the wives of 800 00:52:47,080 --> 00:52:50,880 Speaker 1: businessmen who took advantage of the offer, But the program 801 00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:55,279 Speaker 1: didn't last long as the wives of businessmen became furious 802 00:52:55,360 --> 00:52:58,360 Speaker 1: when they had not actually gone on the trip because 803 00:52:58,440 --> 00:53:03,200 Speaker 1: the businessmen had taken their mistresses. So a good deed 804 00:53:03,239 --> 00:53:06,480 Speaker 1: on the airlines part ended up being a big disaster. 805 00:53:07,560 --> 00:53:12,319 Speaker 1: Oh that is hilarious and horrifying. So thank you for 806 00:53:12,400 --> 00:53:15,759 Speaker 1: sharing that with us, Austin, and thanks to everybody who's 807 00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:18,160 Speaker 1: written into us. Mom Stuff at how stuff works dot 808 00:53:18,239 --> 00:53:20,759 Speaker 1: com is our email address and for links to all 809 00:53:20,800 --> 00:53:23,200 Speaker 1: of our social media as well as all of our blogs, 810 00:53:23,280 --> 00:53:26,759 Speaker 1: videos and podcasts with our sources so you can learn 811 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:31,000 Speaker 1: even more about invention and patenting. Head on over to 812 00:53:31,120 --> 00:53:37,840 Speaker 1: stuff mom Never told you dot com for more on 813 00:53:37,920 --> 00:53:40,360 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics. Is it how stuff 814 00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:48,800 Speaker 1: Works dot com