“And so I will argue that when we are designing a world that is meant to work for everyone we need women in the room. If the people taking decisions that affect us are all white, able-bodied men(nine times out of ten from America), that too constitutes a data gap- in the same way that not collecting information on female bodies in medical research is a data gap… “
“The female-specific concerns that men fail to factor in cover a wide variety of areas but as you read you will notice that three themes crop up again and again: the female body, women’s unpaid care burden and male violence against women.” (Preface XVII)
Hi folks,
It took me a while to finish this book. It was very good but I do think it could have been shorter. The research appears to be extensive which is what added to the length. I can tell that the author was passionate about the subject and wanted to be thorough. She outlines numerous examples across the globe of data bias that negatively impacts women. Everything from crash test dummies to standard office temperature and drug testing. It’s interesting and infuriating but to be clear this is not a book bashing men. It’s possible that by the end of the book I was just so disappointed by all the systemic ways women are disadvantaged due to data bias that I was tapped out. Despite that I’m happy I read this one. I liked it enough to buy a physical copy for my personal library. When I was reading it I remember walking somewhere and thinking I wonder how many women were involved in the planning committee for this layout. It’s the kind of book that will help broaden your perspective. If you are in to that type of thing I would recommend you check Invisible Women- Data Bias in a World Designed for Men out. According to my hard copy it was the business book of the year winner for 2019. I wonder if any businesses are making this book required reading in this current climate. I don’t think so either.
Have a great week folks!
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Stardate:2600012.05
