Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
At 304 pages, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is a powerful read published by Vintage. This book is a data-driven exposé of systemic gender bias. While social media often highlights how women are excluded from medical studies, Perez goes much deeper. She uncovers how data bias has shaped the very fabric of our world, leaving women at a disadvantage in ways most of us don’t even realize.
Amazon Description
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be seriously injured, where every week the countless hours of work you do are not recognized or valued.
If any of this sounds familiar, chances are that you're a woman.
Invisible Women shows us how, in a world largely built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half the population. It exposes the gender data gap – a gap in our knowledge that is at the root of perpetual, systemic discrimination against women, and that has created a pervasive but invisible bias with a profound effect on women’s lives.
From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, urban planning, and the media, Invisible Women reveals the biased data that excludes women.
What I Loved
Validating and Eye-Opening: This book is a reminder that the fight for gender equality is far from over. It’s validating to see tangible data that explains persistent inequalities many feel but can’t always articulate. It’s also a rallying cry for those who believe the work is done.
Rich Data for the Science-Minded: As a fan of data, I appreciated the evidence-based approach Perez used to back her claims. The statistics and case studies disprove the idea that the world is free from bias, making the book compelling and credible.
Challenging Conventional Career Narratives: Perez discusses the systemic challenges working mothers face and deconstructs the myth of meritocracy. Women often outperform their peers at work yet remain under-recognized. This made me reflect on how “success” is defined and who gets to achieve it.
Why You Should Read It Too
Everyone—regardless of gender—can benefit from reading Invisible Women. The issues highlighted in the book are not just women’s problems; they are societal problems. Perez’s approach is not accusatory but conversational, as she states in the preface:
“The point of this book is not psychoanalysis. I do not have direct access to the innermost thoughts of those who perpetuate the gender data gap...What matters is the pattern. What matters is whether, given the weight of the data I will present, it is reasonable to conclude that the gender data gap is all just one big coincidence. I will argue that it is not.”
Perez challenges readers to confront the data and ask hard questions about how we view humanity itself. Her work offers insights that will remain relevant as we strive for a more equitable future.
