Female Chinese inventors tend to collaborate locally

Abstract

This study examines gender differences in the context of geographical distance and collaboration, and how these disparities influence the success of female Chinese inventors, particularly in terms of citation counts. Utilizing the newly established Chinese inventor database and state-of-the-art methods for identifying the gender of inventors, this research shows that: 1) the geographical patterns of collaboration among male and female Chinese inventors exhibit distinct differences, with patents involving higher female participation being more likely to be produced by inventors who collaborate locally and over short distances, and with females being more likely to be co-located with their team of co-inventors and to collaborate locally and within short distances; 2) on average, female Chinese inventors produce patents that receive fewer citations compared to those of their male peers; and 3) a gender gap in citations is observed when inventors engage in local collaborations, while no significant gender differences in citation counts are found in non-local collaborations. These findings suggest that spatial collaboration behavior differs between females and males, and these disparities are a crucial aspect of understanding gender inequality.