Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
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- Create Date：2021-05-16 08:17:09
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Caroline Criado Pérez
- ISBN：1419735217
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Summary
Data is fundamental to the modern world。 From economic development， to healthcare， 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 bias， in time， money， and often with their lives。
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women， diving into women’s lives at home， the workplace， the public square， the doctor’s office， and more。 Built on hundreds of studies in the US， the UK， and around the world， and written with energy， wit， and sparkling intelligence， this is a groundbreaking， unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world。
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women， diving into women’s lives at home， the workplace， the public square， the doctor’s office， and more。 Built on hundreds of studies in the US， the UK， and around the world， and written with energy， wit， and sparkling intelligence， this is a groundbreaking， unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world。
Reviews
Rosalie
，
I would say this is not the most readable book。 It's about data and data means statistics and some dry paragraphs， BUT the information is explained clearly and always is centered around the main theme: the default white male has more influence over our lives， particularly women， than you probably thought possible。 Your transit system， your health care， your clothing， all designed around the default male。 This is not a man hating book at all。 Perez shows how a system designed for men perpetuated I would say this is not the most readable book。 It's about data and data means statistics and some dry paragraphs， BUT the information is explained clearly and always is centered around the main theme: the default white male has more influence over our lives， particularly women， than you probably thought possible。 Your transit system， your health care， your clothing， all designed around the default male。 This is not a man hating book at all。 Perez shows how a system designed for men perpetuated itself over the years。 The criticism is that not enough is being done to change the narrative even when the data clearly shows bias exists and in most cases the default system is a deteriment to all human beings。 。。。more
Aurélie Hubert
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Bloody hell。 That explains a lot of things。
Zane
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An insightful in-depth look at the gender data bias with each chapter highlighting different gender data gaps for different aspects of life - science/medicine， equipment， safety， politics etc。Most chapters of this book will leave you feeling angry and frustrated with the intentional or ignorant disregard for women， their perspectives and their statistics。 With each chapter providing plenty of sources and evidence， it’s impossible to argue with the blatant rejection of the woman’s point-of-view i An insightful in-depth look at the gender data bias with each chapter highlighting different gender data gaps for different aspects of life - science/medicine， equipment， safety， politics etc。Most chapters of this book will leave you feeling angry and frustrated with the intentional or ignorant disregard for women， their perspectives and their statistics。 With each chapter providing plenty of sources and evidence， it’s impossible to argue with the blatant rejection of the woman’s point-of-view in society。 Caroline Criado Perez provides plenty of points and never feels like she is repeating the same thoughts （which a lot of non-fiction can fall into the trap of doing）。 Each chapter provides it’s points， it’s quotes， it’s evidence and it’s solutions and then moves onto the next chapter。 That's what I liked most， it provides solutions because there ARE actually solutions to this。 As someone who isn’t a woman， this book was valuable。 Every cis-man could benefit from reading this， undoubtedly。 Much like systemic racism and classism， systemic sexism is still thriving。 The white man loves his comfy spot in society and he wants to keep that， whether that means being ignorant to women or straight-up dismissing them。 4。3/5 。。。more
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，
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Charu Ahuja
，
I’m so happy for the day that I looked and stumbled upon this book。 The book imparts so much information while being thoroughly readable。 It makes you realise that things while inconvenient， have just been accepted as normal are actually designed to be inconvenient for 50% of the worlds population。 They are Designed without taking half the population of the world into consideration。 The book makes you aware of so many things that despite being a reader and generally aware， you wouldn’t know of。 I’m so happy for the day that I looked and stumbled upon this book。 The book imparts so much information while being thoroughly readable。 It makes you realise that things while inconvenient， have just been accepted as normal are actually designed to be inconvenient for 50% of the worlds population。 They are Designed without taking half the population of the world into consideration。 The book makes you aware of so many things that despite being a reader and generally aware， you wouldn’t know of。 I would recommend this book to everyone but especially those who in any capacity are responsible for decision making in their field。 。。。more
Omar Fernández
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This is a great book。 Men everywhere should read it to understand how we may make things worse for women without intending to。 And everyone， regardless of sex or gender identity， should read it and advocate for us to do better。 One to add to my real bookshelf。
Anna
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Iedereen zou dit boek moeten lezen。
Thierry Heck
，
What an enlightening， often head-shakingly upsetting （in the best way possible， thereby immanently educational） read！ The onslaught of data， figures， percentages and studies can be a little overwhelming at times， but then again， part of me thinks that was done by design。 Maybe we need to be bludgeoned with data point after data point after data point to finally have it hammered into our thick skulls how not okay the issues addressed in this book are。 Maybe it's the only way that makes us act tow What an enlightening， often head-shakingly upsetting （in the best way possible， thereby immanently educational） read！ The onslaught of data， figures， percentages and studies can be a little overwhelming at times， but then again， part of me thinks that was done by design。 Maybe we need to be bludgeoned with data point after data point after data point to finally have it hammered into our thick skulls how not okay the issues addressed in this book are。 Maybe it's the only way that makes us act towards change。 Maybe excerpts of this book could even be talked about within school curriculae， in order to raise more awareness at an earlier stage in an effort to more successfully tackle gender disparities？ That would be cool。 。。。more
Bernadette Turkiewicz
，
An infuriating must read！This book should be read with a glass of wine！ It is definitely not a feel good read， but enlightening with its （at times overwhelming） data。 Share it with everyone - first step is to raise awareness of the issues。
Françoise
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Where do I start？ This book is an eye-opener and should become mandatory reading。 It took ne a while to read it because every chapter made my blood boil or I was in disbelief， but a disbelief that simply confirmed former experience， so it was also sad。 I really appreciate the author relies a lot on research and citations in this book， backed-up with data。 The only reason I don't give this 5 starts is because there could have been more development on 'next steps' or what as individuals we can do。 Where do I start？ This book is an eye-opener and should become mandatory reading。 It took ne a while to read it because every chapter made my blood boil or I was in disbelief， but a disbelief that simply confirmed former experience， so it was also sad。 I really appreciate the author relies a lot on research and citations in this book， backed-up with data。 The only reason I don't give this 5 starts is because there could have been more development on 'next steps' or what as individuals we can do。Women， read this book， it really gives perspective on how much women do。Men， read this book， it really opens your mind on how the world is built for men。 。。。more
Karin Jenkins
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Mind boggling and infuriating。 You wonder if she’s over egging the pudding at times but if even a fraction of what she says is accurate （and lived experience suggests that is so！） then it needs listening to and acting on。Some things that stayed with meThe police officer killed because she had to take her stab vest off to use a battering ram as it didn’t accommodate her breasts。The women drowning in floods because of cultural restrictions （never learned to swim， can’t leave home till a male relat Mind boggling and infuriating。 You wonder if she’s over egging the pudding at times but if even a fraction of what she says is accurate （and lived experience suggests that is so！） then it needs listening to and acting on。Some things that stayed with meThe police officer killed because she had to take her stab vest off to use a battering ram as it didn’t accommodate her breasts。The women drowning in floods because of cultural restrictions （never learned to swim， can’t leave home till a male relative comes to escort them etc。）Houses designed by men which don’t have a kitchen！Public transport networks which don’t support the kind of lives women lead。A major mathematical problem solved once a female professor got involved because she also knew how to crochet。The numerous ways women are seen as non standard and expected to adapt to equipment rather than have it adapted to them。 。。。more
Selena S
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At times a 4/5 （some of the chapters had sooo many stats to nail a point which did indeed hammer home the point but could be repetitive） but mostly a 5/5 read— I felt like I learned a lot about public infrastructure， differences in women’s day to day behavior from men’s， how other countries operate and have succeeded/failed， etc。 Some of the stats were so outrageous that I laughed out loud but like in a “holy cow that’s so bad” kind of way。
Jill
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What I liked: Lots of thought-provoking data and examples of how using men as the default leaves women without what they need; whether that is safety， economic justice， good health， free time， or any of a number of other things。 She is clear on also calling out how the burden is even heavier on women of color and women in developing countries。 The author's use of real-world examples are clear and make her points easy to follow。What I didn't like: A major downside of listening to this on audioboo What I liked: Lots of thought-provoking data and examples of how using men as the default leaves women without what they need; whether that is safety， economic justice， good health， free time， or any of a number of other things。 She is clear on also calling out how the burden is even heavier on women of color and women in developing countries。 The author's use of real-world examples are clear and make her points easy to follow。What I didn't like: A major downside of listening to this on audiobook is that I couldn't pause， flip to the end to look at the citations （I assume the paper/ebook would have them， but I guess I don't actually know） to get more info or see where she's getting her info。 The rapid-fire delivery also felt overwhelming when there were a bunch of statistics in a row。 Second， the entire book is set in the binary （wo/men） without any nod， mention， or consideration of trans* or non-binary identified people。 Now， I get that this was not within her research scope， yet in this day and age it bears at least a minor mention。 She does note in the beginning the difference between sex and gender， but it was not with this in mind。Regardless， I plan to recommend this book at the very least as a conversation starter， as it is always useful to ask， 'who is not at the table？' 。。。more
Katrina
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Ein gutes Buch und zugleich sehr erschreckend。 Leider wird in keinem Stück auf nicht binäre Geschlechter eingegangen， das muss man in Kopf haben während man dieses Buch liest。 Das macht den "heimlichen" Sexismus über den geredet wird aber nicht schwächer - es schwächt nur die Autorin die in diesem Punkt wohl blind zu sein scheint。 Ein gutes Buch und zugleich sehr erschreckend。 Leider wird in keinem Stück auf nicht binäre Geschlechter eingegangen， das muss man in Kopf haben während man dieses Buch liest。 Das macht den "heimlichen" Sexismus über den geredet wird aber nicht schwächer - es schwächt nur die Autorin die in diesem Punkt wohl blind zu sein scheint。 。。。more
Katie Krumholz
，
I REALLY liked this book。 One of my favorite things about it was how the author continued to point out times when the gender data gap has led to solutions that try and “fix” women。 Women are not the problem and they do not need to be more like men。 Instead we need to fix systems that are set up with only men in mind。
Cláudia Almeida
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Very interesting but also is full of data and that can make it a bit hard to read
Kristen Naumko
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This should be required reading for all- fascinating book on the lack of data about women and that impact on our world。 I found the medical section particularly interesting， but also frightening。 I hope this sparks some change， it’s certainly opened my eyes。
Thomas MacGillavry
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A powerful and enlightening book。Several years ago - and like many other young men - I found myself in an anti-feminist youtube echo chamber。 Only recently did I begin to actively re-evaluate my beliefs on women’s issues。 This book has undoubtedly aided this transformation and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who may identify with the label of ‘anti-feminist’。 For such people， it may feel uncomfortable to read （as it was for me， initially）， but it is this exposure to uncomfortable， contra A powerful and enlightening book。Several years ago - and like many other young men - I found myself in an anti-feminist youtube echo chamber。 Only recently did I begin to actively re-evaluate my beliefs on women’s issues。 This book has undoubtedly aided this transformation and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who may identify with the label of ‘anti-feminist’。 For such people， it may feel uncomfortable to read （as it was for me， initially）， but it is this exposure to uncomfortable， contrary views （and more importantly， empirical evidence） that will make you a more enlightened person。 After all， facts don’t care about your feelings。 ;） PS: I see many extremely negative reviews of this book here concerned with the lack of discussion of trans issues。 Though I understand these concerns， I don’t think the criticism is fair。 Sex （i。e。， male and female） is clearly a statistically relevant predictor （as the wealth of literature referenced throughout this book suggests） that often explains quite a significant portion of variation in socioeconomic data and is thus important to consider if we want to understand and solve social issues。 The issues faced by trans people are perhaps best discussed in another book。 。。。more
Melanie Chan
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A very comprehensive book about the data gaps that unconsciously affect women over men。 Incredibly insightful and well-researched。 The information I learned transformed the way I view the world and I now see all the little ways in which women have learned to shift their lives around the this design bias。 Perez cites many great statistics and facts that I encourage others to dive deeper into if they have the chance。 I held on to many of her citations in the index for further reading。 There are a A very comprehensive book about the data gaps that unconsciously affect women over men。 Incredibly insightful and well-researched。 The information I learned transformed the way I view the world and I now see all the little ways in which women have learned to shift their lives around the this design bias。 Perez cites many great statistics and facts that I encourage others to dive deeper into if they have the chance。 I held on to many of her citations in the index for further reading。 There are a lot of startling facts that others have mentioned such as the fact that male dummies are used in car crash testings。 But the one that I found personally interesting was how married women get over-taxed on their income。 There are loads of other jaw-dropping facts that you'll read about in this book。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Allison
，
The information presented in this book is illuminating and frustrating， as it exposes many data gaps when it comes to women。 But I found myself perplexed at the author's inability to see her own data gap: while this book includes women of color， women from different countries， and women from varying socioeconomic backgrounds， this book doesn't even acknowledge LGBTQ or disabled women。 Nor does it acknowledge intersex or non binary folks。 It's quite a strange book to behold， and it ultimately fee The information presented in this book is illuminating and frustrating， as it exposes many data gaps when it comes to women。 But I found myself perplexed at the author's inability to see her own data gap: while this book includes women of color， women from different countries， and women from varying socioeconomic backgrounds， this book doesn't even acknowledge LGBTQ or disabled women。 Nor does it acknowledge intersex or non binary folks。 It's quite a strange book to behold， and it ultimately feels like a 30+ year old book instead of one published just in 2019。 。。。more
Georgie
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4。5/5 stars！！ Fascinating book with loads of facts and statistics that blew my mind。 I wish I could remember more of them but the messages from the book definitely stay with me
Kelli
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Even if you aren't a feminist， even if you arent interested in crunching data， this is a must read， as the author breaks downs sooo many of the ways that fully half of the world's population is unseen in decision-making。"Data is just another word for information， and information has many sources。 Statistics are a kind of information， yes， but so is human experience。 And so I will argue that when we are designing a world that is meant to work for everyone we need women in the room。 If the people Even if you aren't a feminist， even if you arent interested in crunching data， this is a must read， as the author breaks downs sooo many of the ways that fully half of the world's population is unseen in decision-making。"Data is just another word for information， and information has many sources。 Statistics are a kind of information， yes， but so is human experience。 And so I will argue that when we are designing a world that is meant to work for everyone we need women in the room。 If the people taking decisions that affect all of us are all white， able-bodied men （nine times out of ten from America）， that too constitutes a data gap - in the same way that not collecting information on female bodies in medical research is a data gap。 And as I will show， of an unintended male bias that attempts （often in good faith） to pass itself off as "gender neutral。" This is what de Beauvoir meant when she said that men confuse their own point of view with the absolute truth。"Read it。 Talk about it。 。。。more
Kat
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Super informative and so well researched。 Although it was hard to hear all the injustices that women face in all aspects of life， I learned so much reading this and am so inspired to create a better world for women。
Victor Lee
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like her research， but not a fan of her writing style。
Stephanie
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This should be required reading for all undergrads。 Although i already knew about most of the broad findings， they were backed up with great examples and statistics I wish I had when I was teaching intersectional analysis。 Its pretty heavy on stats but balanced out by the author's wry humour。 This should be required reading for all undergrads。 Although i already knew about most of the broad findings， they were backed up with great examples and statistics I wish I had when I was teaching intersectional analysis。 Its pretty heavy on stats but balanced out by the author's wry humour。 。。。more
Alana
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A whole new way of looking at the world。
Ucho
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It’s the irony of being a woman: at once hyper-visible when it comes to being treated as the subservient sex class， and invisible when it counts – when it comes to being counted。An eye-opening book that everyone should read， and I don’t say that lightly。 I scorn at lists the likes of ‘100 Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die’。 Everyone is different and needs different books。 But Invisible Women would benefit truly anyone。I’ve noticed some comments complaining about the exclusion of trans f It’s the irony of being a woman: at once hyper-visible when it comes to being treated as the subservient sex class， and invisible when it counts – when it comes to being counted。An eye-opening book that everyone should read， and I don’t say that lightly。 I scorn at lists the likes of ‘100 Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die’。 Everyone is different and needs different books。 But Invisible Women would benefit truly anyone。I’ve noticed some comments complaining about the exclusion of trans folks。 That’s a fair and valid point。 But I also think that this book is hopefully just the first step and will be followed by other， more inclusive books that will be just as thoroughly researched and competently written。 In the meantime， Invisible Women should get people talking and thinking and have them realize that we need a more diversified group of decision-makers than just the homogeneous herd of cis white men we have now。 That’s the book’s major point， and it’s a point that will benefit all oppressed groups， not just cis women。Essentially， people tend to assume that our own way of thinking about or doing things is typical。 That it’s just normal。 For white men this bias is surely magnified by a culture that reflects their experience back to them， thereby making it seem even more typical。 Projection bias amplified by a form of confirmation bias， if you like。 Which goes some way towards explaining why it is so common to find male bias masquerading as gender neutrality。 If the majority of people in power are men – and they are – the majority of people in power just don’t see it。 Male bias just looks like common sense to them。 But ‘common sense’ is in fact a product of the gender data gap。 。。。more
Juana Sánchez-Ortega
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¡libro esencial！Me encanta la reflexión que me abre los ojos
Ashley
，
I found this book rage inducing in parts， especially the earlier chapters， as well as educational。 However， I prefer my nonfiction books with a minimum of author voice and opinion and several chapters were full of "I" statements and the author's own opinions rather than conclusions about the facts。 Also， there was a story having to do with crops & the Gates foundation that was fully fleshed out in The Moment of Lift but wasn't fully examined here。 Seeing this bit of data cherry picking made me a I found this book rage inducing in parts， especially the earlier chapters， as well as educational。 However， I prefer my nonfiction books with a minimum of author voice and opinion and several chapters were full of "I" statements and the author's own opinions rather than conclusions about the facts。 Also， there was a story having to do with crops & the Gates foundation that was fully fleshed out in The Moment of Lift but wasn't fully examined here。 Seeing this bit of data cherry picking made me a bit more skeptical of other conclusions drawn though I do agree that the problems the author addresses are real。 。。。more
fearless
，