This book explores the gender data gap that exists in almost any field that has traditionally been led by men (and if the gap doesn't exist, it's probably because of the lack of data rather than equitable practices). Invisible Women is full of information that details the scope of this problem and each new piece of information is meticulously researched, cited, and presented throughout this work; the volume is overwhelming at times, like using a firehose to wash eating utensils, but it's effect is to underscore the devastating force of this data crisis on the lives of women throughout the world. Readers should find some way to become familiar with this work, whether through interviews with the author that explore select areas of the work, or in the wild and unnecessary world of the TOA book notes.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez (February 2020)
The best supporting actor in this book - and I do use actor, grudgingly, in the manner of the Oscars - would be The Reference Man, the standard measurement unit that appears throughout Invisible Women to expose the consequences of dismissing the importance of sex-disaggregated data. Those who are familiar with The Reference Man will recognize Him as the god-like figure whose physical proportions determine the standards for medicine dosage, car safety features, and the size of consumer electronics, among other examples. The Reference Man draws the line between the exception and the rule, a concept in clear evidence on the CDC page for heart attacks (scroll to 'What are the symptoms of a heart attack?') - there are 137 total words, of which the first 105 describe symptoms as if they applied to all people; the final 32 words, an afterthought, note additional symptoms that may apply specifically to women.
Not all the points in this book are about life and death, opting instead to stress how the gender data gap diminishes the female experience. Criado-Perez finds that children's programs tend to overwhelmingly feature male characters (including when characters are animals or robots) and notes that the piano world is generally reluctant to allow pianists to use instruments optimally sized to their hands. She also cites various research that supports points made previously on TOA, such as the important of blinding in a selection process; one researcher concluded that blind auditions (playing behind a screen) helped the New York Philharmonic Orchestra approach a 50% hiring rate for women.
Invisible Women explores a critical idea that should be required understanding - if not reading - for anyone in a position to influence the future of policy and power in society. A programmer writing an algorithm without understanding the problem of the gender data gap will create digital tools that exacerbate this problem; the legislator who fails to include female sanitary products among a list of tax-free necessities subtly reinforces mechanisms that transfer wealth from women to men. In the current despair of the COVID pandemic, I can only hope that those in charge of early vaccine trials appreciate the potentially deadly consequences of dismissing the possibility that sex differences may necessitate different treatments.
TOA Rating: Three reference men out of four.
