Data is fundamental to the modern world.
From economic development to health care to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this insidious bias, in time, in money, and often with their lives.
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates this shocking root cause of gender inequality in the award-winning, #1 international bestseller Invisible Women. Examining the home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more, Criado Perez unearths a dangerous pattern in data and its consequences on women’s lives. Product designers use a “one-size-fits-all” approach to everything from pianos to cell phones to voice recognition software, when in fact this approach is designed …
Data is fundamental to the modern world.
From economic development to health care to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this insidious bias, in time, in money, and often with their lives.
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates this shocking root cause of gender inequality in the award-winning, #1 international bestseller Invisible Women. Examining the home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more, Criado Perez unearths a dangerous pattern in data and its consequences on women’s lives. Product designers use a “one-size-fits-all” approach to everything from pianos to cell phones to voice recognition software, when in fact this approach is designed to fit men.
Cities prioritize men’s needs when designing public transportation, roads, and even snow removal, neglecting to consider women’s safety or unique responsibilities and travel patterns. And in medical research, women have largely been excluded from studies and textbooks, leaving them chronically misunderstood, mistreated, and misdiagnosed.
Built on hundreds of studies in the United States, in the United Kingdom, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, highly readable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.
Are you a 5’ 9” white male weighing 196 pounds? If not, the world was not designed for you. In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez covers the surprising male bias in your daily life. 49.6% of all people are just not studied in any significant way: car crash safety, economic output, heart attack signs, and the efficacy of drugs. Everything is simplified to fit the default male the mark is missed by half. Even the most thoughtful and conscious man is just going to miss huge parts of the female experience. To remedy this Perez suggests what RBG suggested “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”
A must-read for everyone. This book illustrates very well that today’s society’s inequality is way more than "just" the pay gap. Being aware of inequalities and understanding it’s effects is the first step for improving them. The second step is to learn from this book and take actions - trying to represent women more is one of the biggest challenges (that are possible to overcome!) in our society.
Powerful and well-researched, highlighting the risk and damage of male defaults across design, policy and healthcare and more. Perez does a good job of pointing out where more disaggregated data collection and research is needed.
