Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

Invisible Women examines how gaps in data collection perpetuate gender bias and disadvantage women across society. Data shapes decisions in economic development, healthcare, education, and public policy, yet much of it fails to account for gender, treating men as the default and women as exceptions. This bias has significant costs for women in time, money, and sometimes lives. Caroline Criado Perez investigates this root cause of gender inequality by exploring how it manifests in homes, workplaces, public spaces, medical settings, and beyond. Product designers apply one-size-fits-all approaches to items from pianos to cell phones to voice recognition software, designs that actually fit men. Cities prioritize men's needs in public transportation, roads, and snow removal while overlooking women's safety and travel patterns. Medical research has largely excluded women from studies and textbooks, resulting in chronic misunderstanding, mistreatment, and misdiagnosis. Drawing on hundreds of studies from the United States, United Kingdom, and worldwide, the book documents these patterns and their consequences for women's lives.