"3.2 out of 10 are women" MZ Generation Women Lead Design Applications

The proportion of female applicants in design applications is increasing. In particular, design applications by MZ generation women are strong. It is understood that in some design product categories, the proportion of female applicants has exceeded half for the first time.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on the 3rd, the proportion of individual female applicants in domestic design applications increased from 7.6% (1,497 out of 19,673 cases) in 1999 to 31.8% (7,431 out of 23,352 cases) last year.

This means it increased 4.2 times over 20 years, and last year was the first time the proportion of female applicants exceeded 30%.

Graph of the age distribution of female applicants in design applications last year. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

Especially in recent design applications, participation by women aged 30 and under is prominent. Based on last year, the proportion of female applicants by age group was highest in their 30s at 28.6%, followed by 20s at 21.6%, 40s at 21.2%, 50s at 18.1%, 60s at 5.9%, and teens at 4.1%. The 20s to 40s age group accounted for 71.4% of the total.

Conversely, based on the same criteria, the proportion of male applicants was highest in their 50s at 29.3%, followed by 50s at 23.9%, 60s at 16.9%, 30s at 15.9%, 20s at 8.9%, and teens at 2.7%. Unlike women, male applicants were mainly in their 40s to 50s.

The strength of women in design applications was also evident in specific product categories.

For example, in the Locarno design product categories (an international industrial design classification system consisting of 32 classes), last year, female applicants accounted for 51.0% in Class 1 (Food) and 50.4% in Class 19 (Stationery and office supplies, etc.).

This is recorded as the first year since the introduction of the Locarno product categories in July 2014 that the proportion of female applicants exceeded 50%.

Design application status by age group and gender as of last year. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

In particular, among female applicants in Class 19, those in their teens and 20s accounted for 48% of the total, showing a clear dominance of MZ generation women in this field.

It is analyzed that the relatively lowered entry barriers from design to manufacturing, distribution, and sales are helping young women (startups, influencers, etc.) enter related industries.

Above all, KIPO expects that in the near future, the proportion of female applicants will surpass males in Class 3 (Travel goods, etc. - female applicant proportion 49.8%), Class 11 (Decorative items - 49.5%), and Class 30 (Animal care and breeding products - 44.7%).

Lee In-sil, Commissioner of KIPO, said, “The steady increase in design applications by MZ generation women is interpreted as a very positive signal from the perspective of gender equality and social participation,” but added, “However, the relatively low proportion of design applications by women over 40 is regrettable and seems to be explainable in connection with social issues such as career interruptions.”

He continued, “KIPO will discover and promote various policies to help female designers continuously engage in creative activities and secure rights through design applications.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.