A review by nytephoenyx
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez

informative medium-paced

2.25

My friends, I really wanted to like this book. I like the concept of it a lot – using data to prove that statistically the world is designed in such a way that women are deliberately overlooked. There were some interesting statistics in the book, but unfortunately I don’t think this one holds up. And that’s really sad, because even though data changes rapidly, its not the data that makes this book feel outdated – it’s the language.

Even before I looked up Caroline Criado Perez for my Problematic Authors page, the language used in Invisible Women was getting to me. Criado Perez very stubbornly separates our world into binaries to push her point, and that simply is not an accurate picture of the world. I only recall her referring specifically to Black women once in Invisible Women, and I don’t recall any specific references separated by race, orientation, or other data other than than that. One of Criado Perez’s prime arguments about data bias is that there is a data gap – we don’t segregate the data by gender being one of the main factors she argues. And yet, Criado Perez doesn’t bother to segregate the data in an inclusive way herself.

It really bothers me when someone is complaining the world is not inclusive when they are deliberately sidelining other minorities. It’s the same thing that happened with women’s suffrage and it’s a very selfish, unjust way to go about seeking change. Everyone or no one.

On top of not acknowledging data differences by race, orientation, age, and other factors, Criado Perez inserts a lot of her own opinions in Invisible Women. A non-fiction book using science to illustrate systemic flaws is not the place to add outraged personal stories – it lowers the effectiveness of the data. Instead of feeling illuminating, Invisible Women felt like it was pushing a personal agenda. And I say that as someone who completely agrees with the core, bare-bones principle. There is a lack of effort to collect diverse responses and respond appropriately to new data by building a system that is inclusive and supportive for all. Between personal interjections and consistently using inconclusive studies and leaning very heavily into experiences in the United States and United Kingdom, Invisible Women fails to present as an objective, informational book.

Given Criado Perez’s insistence on ignoring the experiences of transgender women as part of her study, Invisible Women was already a questionable read. Having finished it, I find myself outraged for the wrong reasons. I think everyone should be aware of data gaps and how they snowball to create a world where individuals are asked to change themselves to fit a broken system. But I don’t think Invisible Women is the place to start that conversation.
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