Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

 

Invisible Women / Caroline Criado Perez
NY: Abrams, 2019.
411 p.

During this month of International Women's Day, I wanted to get at least one relevant review in. And this one is certainly on topic! I started this book and had to read it in installments -- I was getting so angry by the end of each chapter that I had to take a break. 

It's a a fantastic read about ways that invisible and unexamined bias shapes daily life for women in a multitude of ways. From drug trials to urban planning, safety tests to voice recognition software, everything is designed with men in mind. It's not even that there is malicious intent as much as a choice not to consider the needs of half the population, which are different that "how it's always been done". And the author points out that there are simply gaps in the data -- the studies haven't been done, or tests made, which include women's experience. And even when there IS data it is ignored or just waved away as too niche. 

This is a book that everyone should read. It's so enlightening, and gives facts on a variety of topics - one that really stuck with me as something I'd never considered before was the idea of urban planning. She uses examples from South America to show that when communities are moved to "better" areas, these are not designed with the lifestyles of the people involved in mind. Moving from a crowded community to pristinely designed apartment blocks affected the lives of many women in a South American urban experiment - it meant they were so far away by transit from the jobs they needed to go to that children couldn't be looked after. And the neighbours who often took on these parenting duties were no longer right next door. So many ripples there. 

Another example is simply the way most public transit is designed, to move out from a central radius. This works if you are just going TO work and back TO home with no stops in between. But women make up the majority of transit users and they travel very differently, having multiple chores and duties to stop and go for. So this system adds expense and lots of extra time to their days. 

There are so many more examples here of ways that women's experiences and needs are overlooked in every area of life. Take a breather while reading or listening to this book or you will either get super depressed or unbelievably angry. The good thing is that the final chapter encourages women to get involved in decision making anywhere they can. And you can sign up for the Invisible Women newsletter on her website if you want further updates. A must read but be gentle with yourself while reading!