Dear Invisible Women,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of the world and equipping readers with information they can use to make decisions. I appreciate the work and activism you are doing.
With Love,
Hannah
P.S. Book Details
Author: Caroline Criado Perez
Book Length: 411 pages/ 9 hours 25 minutes
Book Genre: Nonfiction, Sociology, Feminism
Publication Date: March 2019
Awards: Royal Society Science Book Prize (2019), Orwell Prize Nominee for Political Writing for Longlist (2020), Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year (2019), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science & Technology (2019)
Synopsis: 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 recognised 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.
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Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Built for Men, equips readers with data showing how women are being overlooked in data, workforce, and community. Perez writes passionately with strong factual basis. This book was brought to my attention by my local book club for women voters. Education and empowerment are so important when building opinions on social issues
After reading C.S. Lewis’ biography where he talks about a rationalist teacher, I have been challenged to base my opinions off of facts and data. Of course, data can be skewed and people can be wrong, however if I am going to believe something I want to be able to articulate why. Perez did an excellent job informing the reader with her data, even if she did try and lead the reader to a certain conclusion (one which did not bother me because I happen to agree with it). Additionally, I appreciated that she touched on some intersectionality within her research. A lack of intersectionality was a main critique within, Feminist Fight Club, and the author ended up coming out with a revised edition to address the issue.
In my book club, someone brought up an interesting critique. As a woman who has chosen to not have children, she noticed a lot of the research was surrounding women and parenthood. Upon reflection, I can see this in the book and would love to hear more of the author’s research she may not have included for the masses.
An application of the data gender gap and women in work research with current events is highlighted in this interesting article. Wired also did an interview with Perez where she unpacks more of the behind the scenes with the book. Starting from personal experience, to activism, to being a talented economist Perez writes with expertise and passion.
Let me tell you, this book is worth the hype. I recommend this to everybody now. Perez writes her research in a way that anybody can understand. She made her research accessible to everyone. There is a pushback against feminism, because it supposedly is a “woman takeover”. This book can equip women with the information of why feminism is a fight for equality. It can educate men with the information on why women are fighting against the social norm, not necessarily an “attack on men”.
Goodreads | Post COVID-19 For Women In Work: Perspectives From India | Wired Interview | Author Page
To Books, With Love 