When we say “inventors”,
you first think of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.
But, where are the female inventors at?
What if we told you that women invented things
we still use every single day?
It’s time to reinvent the world of female
innovation.
The OGs
Ancient inventions by women were mostly domestic
because ‘ghar grihasti’ was their main domain.
But, there were a few exceptions.
We don’t know who invented beer,
but, in ancient Mesopotamia and Sumeria,
only women were allowed to brew it.
Fast forward a few hundred years to the first computer programmer -
Ada Lovelace.
While working as a transcriber for Charles Babbage,
Ada wrote what was recognised as the first computer algorithm.
But, it took over a 100 years for her to get
credit for this!
The Modern Day Pioneers
Is a cafe even a cafe if it doesn’t have
WiFi?
WiFi was co-created by Hedy Lamarr -
the overachieving kid any desi mom would be proud of.
She developed a "spread-spectrum radio" -
a precursor to today's wireless technology,
and also happened to be one of the most celebrated actors of her time!
Kehte hai, man sab jaanti hai!
So when Marion Donovan wanted her kids’ cloth diapers
to stay dry while they slept,
she designed the first ever disposable diaper.
The same design was later used by P&G to make Pampers.
Indian Inventors
Indian medical student Alefia Merchant created
a unique,
cost-effective way of testing eye diseases
in children under the age of five.
Pranoti Nagarkar and her husband invented the Rotimatic
but Pranoti was often confused for someone
in sales or marketing,
with people refusing to believe she was
the company’s Chief Technology Officer.
The Gender Gap
Margaret Knight invented the square bottom
paper bag
in 1871,
but had her patent stolen by a man,
who claimed that ‘no woman could think of
a design so complex.
She fought a lawsuit, eventually winning her
patent back.
Mary Anderson
inventor of windscreen wipers
and Elizabeth Magie
the creator of Monopoly,
faced similar battles.
Today, for every 50 male patent applications,
only 4 are by women.
And the problem begins with something as simple
as your name.
Applicants with rare female names
have a higher chance of success
than those with common ones,
because if your name is rare, chances are,
your gender can’t be assumed.
In 2017, only 28.3% of Indian patent applications
were by women.
To tackle this,
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
took steps to encourage more female innovators,
by amending the Patent Rules of 2003
to expedite their domestic patent applications.
So, is it easy to be a female inventor in
2019?
Not yet.
The number game is weak,
and it’s tedious for women to apply for
a patent.
But India’s supposed to have
the largest young workforce by 2020,
with 65% of the population under the age of 35!
By demystifying the world of maths and science,
providing a greater understanding of patents,
expanding access to innovation,
and allowing young inventors to fail,
we can encourage young women to celebrate
their inventions.
Tell us what you would do to encourage female innovation!
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to Vitamin Stree!
