Invisible Women takes on the neglected topic of what we dont know - and why. The result is a powerful, important and eye-opening analysis of the gender politics of knowledge and ignorance. With examples from technology to natural disasters, this is an original and timely reminder of why we need women in the leadership of the institutions that shape every aspect of our lives. Cordelia FineYouve heard all about the Gender Pay Gap... Welcome to the Gender Data GapOur world is largely built for and by men, in a system that can ignore half the population. This book will tell you how and why this mattersIn her new book, Invisible Women, award-winning campaigner and writer Caroline Criado Perez shows us how, in a world largely built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half the population. She 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.Caroline brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are excluded from the very building blocks of the world we live in, and the impact this has on their health and wellbeing. From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, urban planning and the media – Invisible Women exposes the biased data that excludes women. In making the case for change, this powerful and provocative book will make you see the world anew.
Review
"Revelatory – it should be required reading for policy and decision makers everywhere" (Nicola Sturgeon)"HELL YES. This is one of those books that has the potential to change things – a monumental piece of research" (Caitlin Moran)"This book is a devastating indictment of institutionalised complacency and a rallying cry to fight back… Invisible Women should propel women into action. It should also be compulsory reading for men" (Christina Patterson Sunday Times)"Invisible Women takes on the neglected topic of what we dont know - and why. The result is a powerful, important and eye-opening analysis of the gender politics of knowledge and ignorance. With examples from technology to natural disasters, this is an original and timely reminder of why we need women in the leadership of the institutions that shape every aspect of our lives." (Cordelia Fine)"Invisible Women is a game-changer; an uncompromising blitz of facts, sad, mad, bad and funny, making an unanswerable case and doing so brilliantly…the ambition and scope – and sheer originality – of Invisible Women is huge; no less than the story of what happens when we forget to account for half of humanity. It should be on every policymaker, politician and manager’s shelves" (Melanie Reid The Times)"Hugely readable, packed with facts and insight. An important book written with humour and flair" (Robert Webb)"The thoroughness of Invisible Women doesn’t detract from its absolute readability. This is entertaining, scholarly and so very important." (Adam Rutherford)"Here are the facts! Caroline Criado Perez shines her penetrating gaze on the absence of women from the creation of most societal norms – from algorithms to medicinal doses to government policy. Knowledge is power – we all need to know how our systems work if we want change. Arm yourself with this book and press it into the hands of everyone you know. It is utterly brilliant! " (Helena Kennedy)"Invisible Women is an absorbing cornucopia of thought-provoking facts - fascinating, alarming and face-palming in equal measures. Caroline Criado-Perez shows up the shortcomings of a world designed for men by men. The consequences of treating men as the default option, or women just as smaller men – if they get considered at all - has wide-reaching implications for everything (and everyone) from snow clearing to seat-belts and many branches of medicine. I shall certainly think of this book next time I have a heart attack, a car crash or just want to go to the toilet at the theatre." (Professor Gina Rippon)"A blisteringly good book... never less than eye-opening, and frequently staggering" (Bookseller)
About the Author
Caroline Criado Perez is a writer, broadcaster and public speaker. She writes across the major national media, most regularly for the New Statesman and the Guardian, and appears in both print and broadcast as a commentator. Her first book, Do it Like a Woman, was published by Portobello in 2015. Eleanor Marx hailed it in the New Statesman as ‘an extended and immersive piece of investigative journalism,’ while Bridget Christie chose it as one of her books of the year in the Guardian, declaring that ‘young girls and women everywhere should have a copy.’Criado Perez is also an award-winning feminist campaigner. Her most notable campaigns have included co-founding The Women’s Room, getting a woman on Bank of England banknotes, forcing Twitter to revise its procedures for dealing with abuse and successfully campaigning for a statue of suffragist Millicent Fawcett to be erected in Parliament Square. She was the 2013 recipient of the Liberty Human Rights Campaigner of the Year award, and was named an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2015. She lives in London.