“Invisible Women” is not a person—but a powerful concept, a groundbreaking book, and a rallying cry for gender equity. Written by British author and feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men was published in 2019 and quickly ignited a global conversation about how gender bias is embedded in the very systems and structures that shape everyday life.
What Is the Book About?
“Invisible Women” dives deep into what Perez calls the gender data gap—the widespread absence of data about women in everything from medical trials to workplace policies, urban planning, and technology. This missing data, she argues, leads to a world that quite literally forgets women exist when decisions are made.
For example:
- Crash test dummies are designed to reflect the average male body, making women more likely to be injured in car accidents.
- Voice recognition software often performs worse for female voices because it’s predominantly trained on male speech.
- Healthcare trials have historically excluded women, leading to misdiagnoses and incorrect treatments.
These aren’t just minor oversights—they’re patterns that contribute to real-world consequences for women’s safety, health, and economic standing.
Why Is It Called “Invisible Women”?
The title reflects how women are systematically “invisible” in the data used to make important decisions. Because most institutions have been built using male norms as the default, women’s needs are often treated as secondary—or ignored entirely. The result is a world where women are constantly asked to adapt to systems that were never designed with them in mind.
What Impact Has the Book Had?
“Invisible Women” has become a cultural touchstone for discussions around equity and inclusion. It won the 2019 Royal Society Science Book Prize and has been cited by policymakers, educators, and activists around the world. The book gave everyday readers the language and evidence to articulate something many women have long felt but couldn’t always explain.
Why Should You Care?
Understanding the issues raised in Invisible Women is about more than fairness—it’s about designing a world that works better for everyone. When data becomes more inclusive, outcomes improve across the board: cities become safer, healthcare becomes more effective, and work environments become more productive.
“Invisible Women” asks a fundamental question: If we don’t see the problem, how can we fix it? Caroline Criado Perez makes the case that once we start seeing the invisible, we can begin to build a more equitable future.
