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A review by realadhdoug
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez
4.5
I have never read a book with a thesis so simultaneously obvious and mind-blowing. It’s also kind of hard to articulate. Essentially, this book is arguing that every facet of society defines the default as male and, as a consequence, women are disadvantage in a myriad off ways.
The author covers a broad range of topics to support her argument. Here are just a few of the examples that stood out to me:
- Security cameras on buses but not at bus stops—where women feel most vulnerable
- Unpaid labor in the household (child and eldercare) primarily done by women not counted as real work
- Resistance to disaggregating gender data in the tech industry
- Things designed around men’s bodies—tools and bricks for hand size; tactical gear in the military; PPE; police stab vests
- the design of keyboards and smartphoness based on the average size of men’s hands
- Voice recognition devices only recognizing male voices or voices with lower pitch (because they’re trained on men’s voices)
- Crash dummies being based on average male size and shape
- Dosage for medications based on the average man (acetaminophen is eliminated at 60% the rate of men)
She explained these things so much better and these examples are just the tip the iceberg. Highly recommend this book. It was super eye-opening.
The author covers a broad range of topics to support her argument. Here are just a few of the examples that stood out to me:
- Security cameras on buses but not at bus stops—where women feel most vulnerable
- Unpaid labor in the household (child and eldercare) primarily done by women not counted as real work
- Resistance to disaggregating gender data in the tech industry
- Things designed around men’s bodies—tools and bricks for hand size; tactical gear in the military; PPE; police stab vests
- the design of keyboards and smartphoness based on the average size of men’s hands
- Voice recognition devices only recognizing male voices or voices with lower pitch (because they’re trained on men’s voices)
- Crash dummies being based on average male size and shape
- Dosage for medications based on the average man (acetaminophen is eliminated at 60% the rate of men)
She explained these things so much better and these examples are just the tip the iceberg. Highly recommend this book. It was super eye-opening.