BOOK REVIEW: INVISIBLE WOMEN BY CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Author: Caroline Criado Perez
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 411
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
This book takes a look at data bias between genders and how by building a world largely best suited for men, women's lives are greatly affected.

Review:
This was a fascinating read, just as I thought it was going to be!

I was prepared to be shocked, annoyed and even angry when I started this book, but it actually took me by surprise how big of a problem data bias is. It's something that I've very rarely thought about to be completely honest and seeing it all laid out like this was fascinating (and enraging). We get to read about data bias in things like medicine, academia and design and I felt like I learned so much!

It's really interesting to see how having the male as the default works into how we structure the world and everything in it. It's infuriating how women, although they're half the population, are often considered niche. If we know certain things traditionally work differently for the sexes, why isn't that reflected in how we do research, how we build and how we design things? One size does not fit all, how hard is that to understand.

Now, there is a lot of information in this (and I mean A LOT) and sometimes it felt a little overwhelming to me, especially when it came to reading paragraphs filled with statistics; I wonder if it could've been written in a way it was easier to digest. Just listing statistics and percentages after one another doesn't really work that well.

I do like how the book also brings up race and privilege, I think that's important and interesting. I do wonder if perhaps a little bit of information about trans and non-binary people would have benefited the book as well though, even if it was just to say that there isn't any research or data available for and about them.

Overall though, this was incredibly informative and a fascinating read.

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