The desire to tinker, create and invent is universal. It doesn’t matter who or what you are–a scientist, business person, layperson, man, woman or child–if there’s a problem, we want to figure out how to solve it by inventing a new way of doing things or improving on an existing way.
Women inventors have had to overcome significant hurdles when it comes to patents. Researching the history of women patent holders can be challenging, because in this country’s early days, many women inventors didn’t use their own names on patent applications. They may have used a husband’s or other man’s name or just used initials to hide their identity. There were also the women who worked with men to patent an idea, but were left off the record, and some women’s inventions were never patented or were sold to a corporation who then patented the idea.
The good news is historians and scholars are bringing to light the history and work of women inventors and how their innovations have improved society. Our guide Women of Invention: Women Inventors and Patent Holders is a good place to start learning about these amazing women and the struggles they endured.