Mothers of Invention? Gender, Motherhood, and New Dimensions of Productivity in the Science Profession

Gender and motherhood dynamics feature prominently in research that examines professional workplace inequities. The rise of patenting as an available form of academic productivity presents a fruitful site to revisit these in the science profession and to compare academic and industrial science contexts. I predict patenting involvement across disciplines, sectors, and time. Contrary to findings regarding publishing, academic mothers suffer a motherhood penalty not experienced by childless women or mothers in industry. Controls for past involvement remove the disparity, and a sex gap in industry. Work/family balance, sector-level incentives, and status expectations may explain these results, providing implications for future research on gender, motherhood, and work.