Invisible Women

INVISIBLE WOMEN: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

by Caroline Criado Pérez

This book presents extensive research to show how our world is designed by men for men. Caroline Criado Pérez explains how deep-seated biases prioritize male-centric data, perspectives, and needs, inadvertently leaving women out of product design, medical research, and even public policy. These not only impact women’s lives, but also the economy and society at large.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• How the “male default” and the lack of female-specific data reinforce existing gaps and biases in a loop;

• The differences between the male and female bodies, and the implications for medicine and health—where medical research and clinical trials have focused mainly on men, and there’s a chronic lack of data about the female body and physiology.

• How and why women are disadvantaged by unpaid care work and gender biases at the workplace, the implications for women and society, and what governments and organizations can do about it.

• How women’s needs and safety are typically neglected in product designs, workplace standards and equipment, leading to lost opportunities and real dangers.

• Examples and implications when women’s needs are overlooked in infrastructural planning, public policy, and crisis management. 

Who should read this:
• Policy makers, government officials, social scientists, and researchers;
• Healthcare professionals and product designers; and
• Business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs.