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A review by cyntismiles
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
First of all, I think this book is very well written and researched. It contains a lot of numbers and facts but manages to not be too dry. I think this is in large part to the author's writing voice. You can sense the passion behind the book and her dedication to this work. This may have been in part because I listened to the audiobook -- the author narrated it so they could have contributed to this sense of passion and purpose.
As a woman, this was not a fun read but a frustrating one. It's not super great to listen to 9 hours of being told all the ways in which the world was not made for you. Especially if this is something you are already aware of. It was interesting to learn the "why" behind things that are common frustrations in my life and the lives of people around me. Some of the why's led to a good idea about how to "fix" the issue but most of them were just "women weren't involved!". This is the whole theme of the book but it wasn't enough for me to feel like I had any new takeaways.
Also, if I was having these feelings as a generally privileged white person, I expect this would be more frustrating for women/not men with intersecting, marginalized identities. Many people who are treated as an "other" or "novelty" rather than the "default human" are hyper-aware of all the ways in which they are excluded. While it could be good information to have, it's mostly a depressing read.
I can imagine some people might find it validating to know other people face these issues too. Personally, I'm already aware that most of my frustrations are not unique to me so it was kind of just depressing. I truly want other people to live happy and fulfilling lives and it kind of sucks to listen to 9 hours of people having rough times that I already know exist.
I think because I identified with so much in the book, it made me want to read some books on my TBR highlighting the experiences of people who I don't necessarily identify with. This book would be most eye-opening to men (esp. cis white men). I think that's a good enough reason for me to find a book that would be most eye-opening to me as a white woman and read that instead. There are definitely more data/knowledge gaps that lead to the exclusion of marginalized groups. Since I already live the life of a woman, I have that data gap filled and I would like to explore an area I don't know as much about.
I'm all for feminism, fighting against gender-based (and other) inequalities, and doing what I can to make the world a better place. I just don't think this book really changed anything for me based on where I'm at and my personal experience. I mostly found myself frustrated and angry after I would finish a reading session and not in a productive, "let's change the world!" way but in an "I need to lie down" kind of way. Because of who I am at this moment in time, I don't think it's a productive use of my time to read more books like this as I want to maintain the will to act against inequalities rather than curl up in a ball.
I would recommend this book if you a) are treated as the default human (white man) or b) don't know much about gender inequality (beyond pretty commonly known things like the gender pay gap) and are looking for a place to start or c) are skeptical gender inequality exists.
I would not recommend this book if you:
1. don't like a bunch of stats
2. were hoping for a mild read (there are, in my opinion, some more graphic descriptions of violence and sexual violence)
3. already have an understanding of how people who aren't men are excluded and harmed in society
4. are looking for an intersectional or wholistic exploration of gender. This book focuses only on women -- sometimes woman is defined as performing as a woman (encompassing different sexes who all identify as women) BUT also as specifically cis-women (portions focus on the experience of people born afab). This is somewhat described in the beginning but tbh didn't make a ton of sense to me. Woman is kind of just thrown around and used to mean whatever the author needs at that time. I think this book has good info but it's definitely a pretty narrow look at gender.
P.S. I was very tickled by the mention of mathematical knitting/crochet near the very end. I think about mathematical knitting daily so I was thrilled. It was like a treat for pushing through the medical and pandemic chapters.
As a woman, this was not a fun read but a frustrating one. It's not super great to listen to 9 hours of being told all the ways in which the world was not made for you. Especially if this is something you are already aware of. It was interesting to learn the "why" behind things that are common frustrations in my life and the lives of people around me. Some of the why's led to a good idea about how to "fix" the issue but most of them were just "women weren't involved!". This is the whole theme of the book but it wasn't enough for me to feel like I had any new takeaways.
Also, if I was having these feelings as a generally privileged white person, I expect this would be more frustrating for women/not men with intersecting, marginalized identities. Many people who are treated as an "other" or "novelty" rather than the "default human" are hyper-aware of all the ways in which they are excluded. While it could be good information to have, it's mostly a depressing read.
I can imagine some people might find it validating to know other people face these issues too. Personally, I'm already aware that most of my frustrations are not unique to me so it was kind of just depressing. I truly want other people to live happy and fulfilling lives and it kind of sucks to listen to 9 hours of people having rough times that I already know exist.
I think because I identified with so much in the book, it made me want to read some books on my TBR highlighting the experiences of people who I don't necessarily identify with. This book would be most eye-opening to men (esp. cis white men). I think that's a good enough reason for me to find a book that would be most eye-opening to me as a white woman and read that instead. There are definitely more data/knowledge gaps that lead to the exclusion of marginalized groups. Since I already live the life of a woman, I have that data gap filled and I would like to explore an area I don't know as much about.
I'm all for feminism, fighting against gender-based (and other) inequalities, and doing what I can to make the world a better place. I just don't think this book really changed anything for me based on where I'm at and my personal experience. I mostly found myself frustrated and angry after I would finish a reading session and not in a productive, "let's change the world!" way but in an "I need to lie down" kind of way. Because of who I am at this moment in time, I don't think it's a productive use of my time to read more books like this as I want to maintain the will to act against inequalities rather than curl up in a ball.
I would recommend this book if you a) are treated as the default human (white man) or b) don't know much about gender inequality (beyond pretty commonly known things like the gender pay gap) and are looking for a place to start or c) are skeptical gender inequality exists.
I would not recommend this book if you:
1. don't like a bunch of stats
2. were hoping for a mild read (there are, in my opinion, some more graphic descriptions of violence and sexual violence)
3. already have an understanding of how people who aren't men are excluded and harmed in society
4. are looking for an intersectional or wholistic exploration of gender. This book focuses only on women -- sometimes woman is defined as performing as a woman (encompassing different sexes who all identify as women) BUT also as specifically cis-women (portions focus on the experience of people born afab). This is somewhat described in the beginning but tbh didn't make a ton of sense to me. Woman is kind of just thrown around and used to mean whatever the author needs at that time. I think this book has good info but it's definitely a pretty narrow look at gender.
P.S. I was very tickled by the mention of mathematical knitting/crochet near the very end. I think about mathematical knitting daily so I was thrilled. It was like a treat for pushing through the medical and pandemic chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence