​Chicago Women in Intellectual Property (ChiWIP) is an organization committed to promoting the success of  women+ in the field of intellectual property law by building, connecting, and sustaining all members of its community. Our organization’s name intends an inclusive definition of women, which includes those who are cisgender, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming.​

​

Our community includes individuals who are marginalized by their identities, such as race, ethnicity, class, education, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. ChiWIP recognizes that some of its members are disadvantaged by multiple sources of prejudice and discrimination due to their overlapping identities and experiences. It is important to ChiWIP that all members are valued and respected.

 

This commitment to nondiscriminatory and equitable treatment for all people means embracing and valuing diverse life experiences, heritages, and abilities. We particularly recognize the pervasiveness of racial injustice and the barriers to achievement this creates.

 

To that end, ChiWIP strives to:

1. Acknowledge and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion as connected to our mission for ensuring the community’s well-being.

2. Acknowledge and address potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.

3. Acknowledge and educate our community and the greater IP community on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

4. Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, and programs.

5. Acknowledge and commit time and resources to expand and diversify leadership within our board and committees.

6. Acknowledge and support efforts to retain diverse individuals within our organization and the broader IP field.