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Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men Hardcover – March 12, 2019

4.6 out of 5 stars 12,339 ratings

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#1 International Bestseller
“A rallying cry to fight back.” —Sunday Times (London)
Winner, 2019 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
Winner, 2019 Royal Society Science Book Prize

Data is fundamental to the modern world. From economic development, to healthcare, to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems.

And women pay tremendous costs for this bias in time, money, and sometimes with their lives. Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in
Invisible Women, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Chapters here include:
  • Can Snow-Clearing Be Sexist
  • The Myth of Meritocracy
  • The Henry Higgins Effect
  • One-Size-Fits-Men
  • Yentl Syndrome
  • From Purse to Wallet
  • Women’s Rights Are Human Rights
Perez writes in her preface, “It’s when women are able to step out from the shadows with their voices and their bodies that things start to shift. The gaps close. And so, at heart, Invisible Women is also a call for change. For too long we have positioned women as a deviation from standard humanity and this is why they have been allowed to become invisible. It’s time for a change in perspective. It’s time for women to be seen.”

Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.
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Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

"Read this book and then tell me the patriarchy is a figment of my imagination."

"Brilliant"—The Economist

"Illuminates tremendous costs for the gender data gap: income, time, women's heath"

"Even with all the progress women have made, Invisible Women proves we still have a long way to go"

"Brilliant... lays out in impressive detail the many ways that human beings are presumed to be male"

"Criado Perez doesn't set out to prove a vast conspiracy; she simply wields data like a laser."

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Read this book and then tell me the patriarchy is a figment of my imagination.”―Jeanette Winterson, The New York Times

“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.”―The Times (UK)

“Brilliant …
Invisible Women lays out in impressive detail the many ways that human beings are presumed to be male, as well as the wide-reaching effects of this distorted view of humanity.”―Katha Pollitt, The Nation

“The most important book I have ever read.”―
Women You Should Know

“An excellent book packed with practical information of the kind required by those attempting to dismantle the patriarchy.”―
The Irish Times

“As
Invisible Women illuminates, in an almost overwhelming way, communities pay tremendous costs for the gender data gap: costs of income, time, women's health, and sometimes women's lives.”―Bustle

"In clear language, the author builds a strong case for greater inclusion with this thoughtful and surprisingly humorous view of institutional bias and gendered information gaps. While some readers may suggest that equality has arrived and gender no longer matters, this book, which should have wide popular appeal, is a solid corrective to that line of thought."―
Kirkus Reviews

“Even with all the progress women have made in the last few decades,
Invisible Women proves we still have a long way to go. Reading this book—preferably in a comfortably warm room—is the first step.”―PureWow

"An incredible book."―
Roman Mars, "99% Invisible"

“A diligently researched and clearly written exposé.”―
Booklist

“A provocative, vital book.”―
Publishers Weekly

“Feminist campaigner, Caroline Criado-Perez left us gobsmacked with
Invisible Women, an in-depth look at how women are (still) excluded in society.” ―Refinery29 (UK)

“This book is a devastating indictment of institutionalised complacency and a rallying cry to fight back…
Invisible Women should propel women into action.”―Sunday Times (UK)

“Brilliant.”―
The Economist

“There’s a sense of rage simmering beneath the surface of
Invisible Women, every now and then it bubbles up in the text, but the book’s force doesn’t derive from the power of its rhetoric – instead it’s the steady, unrelenting accumulation of evidence, the sheer weight of her argument. … Reading Invisible Women one might experience, as I did, the dizzying sensation that so many of my own stories, so many of my friends’ stories, so many incidents I had experienced as discrete and unrelated – at work, at home, on the streets, in hospital – are in fact interconnected. As women, we are so used to contorting ourselves to fit into men-shaped spaces, we’ve learned to ignore how often it hurts.”―The New Statesman

“A powerful call to bust the myths and bridge the gap.”―
Nature

“Shocking, yet essential, reading.”―
Stylist

“Criado Perez doesn’t set out to prove a vast conspiracy; she simply wields data like a laser, slicing cleanly through the fog of unconscious and unthinking preferences.”―
The Guardian

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.”―Georgina Rippon, Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Neuroimaging, Aston University

"A blisteringly good book... never less than eye-opening, and frequently staggering."―
The Bookseller

“The thoroughness of
Invisible Women doesn’t detract from its absolute readability. This is entertaining, scholarly and so very important.”―Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived

About the Author

Caroline Criado Perez is a writer, broadcaster, and feminist activist, named Liberty Human Rights Campaigner of the Year and OBE by the Queen. She has a degree in English language and literature from the University of Oxford, and she studied behavioral and feminist economics at the London School of Economics. She lives in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abrams Press; Later Printing edition (March 12, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419729071
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419729072
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 12,339 ratings

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Customers find the book eye-opening and well-researched, with one review noting how it challenges readers to consider data implications. They describe it as a must-read that is easy to read and amazingly detailed. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some customers finding it infuriating.

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111 customers mention "Insight"105 positive6 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-researched, describing it as eye-opening and riddled with facts and data.

"This book is easy to read with lots of good citations. As a woman engineer, it really struck a cord...." Read more

"...I have experienced it myself. But this book brings a much-needed investigation that goes far beyond my anecdotal incidents and really looks at the..." Read more

"...In general tough, this book is an eye-opening, world-view changing kind of work that has research in spades and deserves every accolade and award..." Read more

"A well-written scholarly review. I was riveted once I started reading...." Read more

98 customers mention "Readability"90 positive8 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a must-read and one of the most important books of our generation, particularly emphasizing its importance for women.

"...It was so good, in fact, that I had to put it down from time to time because it upset me by delineating the sheer and overwhelming abuse-by-neglect..." Read more

"...Must read recommendation!" Read more

"...One of my favorite books to give to other women, especially if they work in tech, science or with data." Read more

"This is an excellent book, well written, than analyzes the gender data gap and hurdles that women are expected to overcome when living in a world..." Read more

42 customers mention "Readable"38 positive4 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read, with one customer noting it explains concepts brilliantly.

"This book is easy to read with lots of good citations. As a woman engineer, it really struck a cord...." Read more

"...This book is arranged with a preface, introduction, six sections, an afterword, an epilogue specific to Covid-19, and almost 100 pages of endnotes..." Read more

"...Author Caroline Crisdo Perez makes a well-written, easy-to-follow case with unbiased gender data for her arguments that can turn male-unless-..." Read more

"This is an excellent book, well written, than analyzes the gender data gap and hurdles that women are expected to overcome when living in a world..." Read more

32 customers mention "Pacing"19 positive13 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the pacing of the book, with some finding it very infuriating, while one customer describes it as captivating.

"...pages long, it is very readable and so brilliantly written that it’s funny, and sad, and insightful, and infuriating, and more all at once...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2025
    This book is easy to read with lots of good citations. As a woman engineer, it really struck a cord. The world is all about data now and, for ladies, its the equivalent of trash in = trash out. My husband asked why I wanted to add fuel to this particular personal fire and he does have a point. It is nice to feel heard, though.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2022
    As a woman working in a STEM field, I was already aware of biases, differences in pay, workplace harassment, and more against women in the workplace. I have experienced it myself. But this book brings a much-needed investigation that goes far beyond my anecdotal incidents and really looks at the data (both what exists and what is missing) and the consequences of dismissing half of the world’s population as irrelevant or atypical.

    This book is arranged with a preface, introduction, six sections, an afterword, an epilogue specific to Covid-19, and almost 100 pages of endnotes and index. Although the book (sans endnotes and index) is 326 pages long, it is very readable and so brilliantly written that it’s funny, and sad, and insightful, and infuriating, and more all at once. The author brings to light numerous issues that at first glance didn’t really seem to be gender/sex-related at all but after looking at them, they actually are. I think this book would be so helpful for people in many fields, especially in leadership in corporations, government, churches, the medical community, small businesses, and more.

    Introduction: The Default Male
    The introduction sets up the whole book to show how nearly universally, a default male (body, size, height, weight, shape, behavior, lifestyle, etc.) is used as the default for data, decisions, planning, policies, history, teaching, models, examples, etc. and how this excludes fully 50% of the world’s population’s experiences, bodies, behaviors, needs, and values.

    Part 1: Daily Life
    In the first chapter, “Can Snow-Clearing be Sexist?”, the author reveals how many activities, like plowing the snow from roads, have been set up based on male norms without consideration of how females have different norms. In the case of clearing the roads and sidewalks for travel and commuting, when women’s needs and patterns were considered, it was found that clearing side roads and sidewalks prior to major roads reduced injuries and accidents and the overall cost of snow conditions compared with the plan which only considered men’s needs and patterns. Chapter two, “Gender Neutral with Urinals”, looks and bathroom usage and compares the usable square footage and time to use restrooms of men’s bathrooms, which can accommodate more men, with the needs of women who cannot use urinals, often have children or elderly to help, and have physical needs which just take longer than men. As such, equal size bathrooms are simply not equitable. And many worldwide women don’t have access to safe facilities at all.

    Part 2: The Workplace
    Part 2 has 4 chapters. “The Long Friday” refers to a day when 90% of women in Iceland decided to strike so that their contributions, many unpaid, would be recognized. Statistically, women do far more unpaid work like childcare, elder care, shopping, cooking, and cleaning compared with men. These tasks cannot be skipped; they are essential but unpaid. “The Myth of Meritocracy” shows how advancement in the workplace based on merit favors men who don’t have essential unpaid work to do at home and can invest more at work. Furthermore, men’s accomplishments are recognized and rewarded more often even when they are not more merit-worthy than women. “The Henry Higgens Effect” refers to a character in My Fair Lady who wonders why women can’t be more like men, as if the solution is to force women to act like men rather than recognize that half of the population is not male and behaving like a woman is quite appropriate for women. The final chapter in this section is “Being Worth Less than a Shoe” and discusses workplace safety standards and equipment that were developed for men without consideration for the women and their size and physiological differences. “Women have always worked. They have worked unpaid, underpaid, underappreciated, and invisibly, but they have always worked. But the modern workplace does not work for women. From its location, to its hours, to its regulatory standards, it has been designed around the lives of men and it is no longer fit for purpose. The world of work needs a wholesale redesign – if its regulations, of its equipment, of its culture – and this redesign must be led by data on female bodies and female lives. We have to start recognizing that the work women do is not an added extra, a bonus that we could do without: women’s work, paid and unpaid, is the backbone of our society and our economy. It’s about time we started valuing it.” p142.

    Part 3: Design
    In the section on Design, there are three chapters. “The Plough Hypothesis” looks at cultures where farm equipment, designed for men, allowed men who have significantly more upper body strength and hand grip to become the primary income-generating farmers but in cultures that used hoes, both men and women farmed. Farming practices that favor men aren’t limited to equipment but also impact crop types. Some high-yield varieties increase the time the women had to spend on cooking and preparing the crops and “clean” stoves designed to reduce harmful smoke emissions often increase the effort and time for women to cook and tend to the food. “One-Size-Fits-Men” discusses the issues with equipment, gear, and algorithms designed for an average-sized man and how these ill-fitting products do not properly protect, and sometimes even increase risk because they do not fit properly on women simply because women don’t have the same size, shape, and expression, as an average man. “A Sea of Dudes” shares the difficulties women have getting funding for research and products for women when often men are unaware of the needs of women and don’t value funding products that they themselves don’t need. “Designers may believe they are making products for everyone, but in reality they are mainly making them for men. It’s time to start designing women in.” p191.

    Part 4: Going to the Doctor
    “When Drugs Don’t Work” looks at the practice of testing drugs and dosages on men without considering how well they work (or don’t work) on women with different hormones and physiology. My mom is only about 85 pounds and I often wonder if the standard male adult dosage is appropriate for her tiny body. “Yentl Syndrome” starts by comparing typical heart attack symptoms in men versus women. Because symptoms in women differ from men, they are often misdiagnosed, sometimes fatally. Male-dominated funding panels impact how research funding is distributed and diseases that impact primarily women are less likely to be funded and studied. Women typically wait longer, take longer to diagnose, are misdiagnosed more often, and are not taken seriously by the medical community.

    Part 5: Public Life
    “A Costless Resource to Exploit” delves into the deliberate decision to exclude unpaid women’s work (childcare, elder care, cooking, cleaning, household activities, etc.) in the GDP. “It makes sense only if you see women as an added extra, a complicating factor. It doesn’t make sense if you’re talking about half of the human race. It doesn’t make sense if you care about accurate data.” p241. “From Purse to Wallet” looks at tax codes and how they favor men compared with women, particularly in that joint households receive tax credits to the head of the household, typically the man, and women may not have equal access to this money. “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” continues looking at how male-biased policies and gaps in government thinking are harming women. “The data we already have makes it abundantly clear that female politicians are not operating on a level playing field. The system is skewed towards electing men, which means that the system is skewed towards perpetuating the gender data gap in global leadership, with all the attendant negative repercussions for half the world’s population.” p286.

    Part 6: When it Goes Wrong
    “Who will rebuild” shows that “when things go wrong – war, natural disaster, pandemic – all the usual data gaps we have seen everywhere from urban planning to medical care are magnified and multiplied. But it’s more insidious than the usual problem of simply forgetting to include women. Because if we are reticent to include women’s perspectives and address women’s needs when things are doing well, there’s something about the context of disaster, of chaos, of social breakdown, that makes old prejudices seem more justified. The real reason we exclude women is because we see the rights of 50% of the population as a minority interest.” p290. “It’s Not the Disaster that Kills You” continues by pointing out that during disasters, it is women who are disproportionally negatively impacted. Women face increased domestic violence, trauma, displacement, injury, death, and female-specific injustices during warfare, pandemics, and natural disasters.

    The afterword offers some hope when women’s voices are included. Women bring valuable insight into the experiences of half the population and their experiences are good for business, economy, and humanity. The epilogue was added to specifically address the Covid-19 pandemic and, unsurprisingly, the “continual failure to systemically collect and sex-disaggregated data on symptoms, infection rates, and death rates from Covid-19.” p319. And of course, PPE that fit women (like masks) were disproportionally unavailable for the many women in healthcare settings who needed them.

    I found this book very well written, meticulously footnoted, and very eye-opening even though I was aware of some of the issues already. I would highly recommend the book to all leaders and all women. Although the author touched on women’s clothing and fashion, I wish she had chewed on it a little more, especially considering how men are able to purchase pants by style, waist size, and inseam whereas rarely are women offered the ability to buy based on measurements and most pants have only one inseam length as if all women are the same shape and height. Women, their bodies, and their needs matter in all areas of life and we should be considered.
    197 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021
    I read a raft of feminist nonfiction books, and I must say this was one of the better ones--very good indeed. It was so good, in fact, that I had to put it down from time to time because it upset me by delineating the sheer and overwhelming abuse-by-neglect of half the planet's population.
    If you are a woman, likely you know a bit of this simply by being alive. But I am betting it's still a new perspective on the "why" of it.

    If you are a man, you may know a few stats, but you almost certainly have no clue about the global and right-in-your-neighborhood ramifications of ignoring the needs of women. (Not just moms--as a reviewer here complained.) From birth, women are never the "default" in anything, thus the majority of systems and things never serve them well. The state of sanitary sewer or toileting systems around the world, alone, along with a lack of running or close-to-fetch water is an often fatal injustice particularly cruel to women and girls.
    People who make policy--and men--need to read this. Send a copy to your Rep. or Senator?
    19 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2020
    Did you know that snow plowing/clearing can be sexist?

    Yup, it is guys. Major streets, highways, and thoroughfares get most of the attention after a snowfall because duh! people need to drive to work and stuff, right? But, according to the author, this benefits men disproportionately as they have relatively straightforward commuting patterns and are less likely to use public transport. Women, on the other hand, must contend with circuitous patterns of commute (i.e. kid's school, groceries, parents, work, laundry, kid's practice, etc.) that not only expose them to less tidy roads after inclement weather, but also sloppy sidewalks that have shown to result in more injuries which translate to lost productivity and eventually more expenditure on healthcare programs, etc. And that's just the appetizer...

    So....women are difficult to measure, non-linearly commuting humans that do 75% percent of the world's unpaid labor, who are disproportionally affected by cuts to social programs, who are constantly being subjected to an infuriating double standard, and whose contributions to the nation's GDP has been largely unaccounted for.

    If you are not the "default human" in most studies (i.e. a male) then grab some calming chamomile tea and take your blood pressure medication or something cause each chapter is sure to make your blood boil. If you are a "default human" however, then be prepared to have an entirely new understanding of the word privilege...

    There is some overreaching in terms of the arguments that caused me to squint and purse my lips the way I do when I'm extremely skeptical about something, like when she presented the idea that it's hard for women to perform similarly to men in construction jobs cause cement bags are just too darn big and so are bricks! If they were to change the world standard for bricks though...problem solved eh?

    Also, apparently men drove the trend towards bigger and bigger phones, cause we have big manly hands and we can handle them whereas women must contort their digits in all kinds of ways causing them much discomfort. But they do make them smaller I thought? Anyways, the point is that they won't fit in their darn pants pockets! By Jove, If the patriarchy just stopped designing Lululemons, yoga pants, skinny jeans, pantsuits and tiny purses, then...Hmmm. Methinks women in the fashion industry have it well within their province to address these issues, yes?

    In general tough, this book is an eye-opening, world-view changing kind of work that has research in spades and deserves every accolade and award thrown its way.

    Must read recommendation!
    47 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2025
    A well-written scholarly review. I was riveted once I started reading. I never understood how many low-key ways research carried out on armed forces personnel winds up disregarding women and costing our towns, states and nation lots of money.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kindleのお客様
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in Japan on January 19, 2025
    Over 40% of the number of pages are references, that's to show the amount of research was put in this book. It's worth it and you'll soon be talking about it with everyone around you, because the topic is just too present in our day to day. We just choose to ignore it. This book brings it to conscious.
  • Sanny Zi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feminismo must have
    Reviewed in Spain on February 21, 2025
    Cosas interesantes, números, y injusticias. La mitad leo yo y la otra mitad cuento a mi marido! Es un must have para todas las personas.
    Report
  • hero_of_canton
    5.0 out of 5 stars A reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2025
    It’s not hyperbole to say that data bias is affecting every area of women’s lives; from medical research and technology to government policy and their workplaces. The world is built with men as the standard and women an afterthought at best, often with disastrous consequences.

    Wow. This was such an eye opening read. There were some parts that I knew, the fact that women are 47% more likely to be injured in a car accident due to crash test dummies being built based on male bodies was one, but many more that I wasn’t aware of. The lack of female participants in medical trials probably shouldn’t have surprised me but did. Even drugs specifically intended for women aren’t generally tested on women.

    Criado Perez’s writing is incredible. She’s done so much research and gathered together an overwhelming amount of evidence as well as calling for solutions.

    This book is not a stick with which to beat men, Criado Perez explains the circumstances in how this data gap came to be and pushes for people to do better. She points out the failings in data not being disaggregated by sex.

    Ironically, some of the problems come from the idea that feminism is calling for equality between the sexes, when what is really needed is equity. Instead of pretending the differences don’t exist and attempting to treat everyone the same, we need to acknowledge where there are differences and give people what they need to close the gap.

    This is something I’ve thought a lot about in my life as a martial artist. The doboks we wear are clearly designed with one shape in mind, an athletically built male. I’m sure it could be argued that equality was in mind in ensuring we all wear the same but that isn’t the way human bodies work and women’s bodies, specifically, need a different style.

    More than anything, this book served as reminder of how far we’ve come but also how far we still have to go.
  • Juli
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read für Alle
    Reviewed in Germany on October 20, 2024
    Dieses Buch sollte Pflichtlektüre an Schulen werden. Es wird zB aufgezeigt, wie Frauen bzw. deren Bedürfnisse aufgrund von fehlenden Daten (Gender Data Gap) benachteiligt werden und wie man diese Situation verbessern könnte.
  • BB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read, data-driven expose on the bias towards males in product development, policy and more
    Reviewed in Australia on July 24, 2022
    I read this book not long after it was published and was struck by the thorough and wide-ranging evidence base it constructs.

    The simple fact is that there are physiological differences between females and males, and these size and other differences are often not taken into account in product design or public policy development. From crash test dummies designed around the average white male's height and weight to the countless powertools designed for the grip size of a large male hand, women (specifically: females) are systematically left out of the picture.

    This is a separate issue to the gender stereotyping we increasingly see in products, whereby it's hard to buy clothes for girls that aren't pink, sparkly and covered in unicorns, and toys get separated into "girls' toys" and "boys' toys". (There's no such thing – there's just toys.)

    This book is a must-read and bears re-reading.