Audiobook Review: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez

Narrated by Caroline Criado Pérez
Publisher: Vintage Digital
Age: Adult
Genre: Non-Fiction – Science – Politics
Format: Audiobook
Published: March 7th, 2019

Rating: 5/5 Stars

This needs to be read by everyone. Especially anyone who works in products or design or data or research but, specifically, everyone. It’s incredibly informative and equally as infuriating, and I highly recommend the audiobook, read by the author herself. Through Invisible Women, Pérez highlights the multitude of ways the world has been shaped by and for men, whether it’s the height of hand dryers, the office temperature, the ways articles are framed, technology, disaster responses and more.

It’s also strangely, oddly comforting at points. Frustrating, but in a way that means things suddenly make sense. Like the reasons why phones feel too big (they are!) or the frustration when using a gender-neutral toilet only to find the toilet is too high and the sink and taps feel oddly placed – because it was, clearly, originally intended to be a male toilet. Or even the reasons why there are often so many lines for women’s toilets but not for men’s.

There are some truly laugh out loud moments, too, either because Pérez infuses the information with an incredible wit that must have got her through so many bleak moments of research, or from sheer disbelief at the information conveyed.

There is a gender data gap, where research consistently takes male as the default and ignores women. Even in areas where a woman’s point of view would be more valuable to researchers. There’s a lot of areas covered in the book that, if you’re a woman, you’re already aware of. The lack of pockets, for starters, but as mentioned above, the way phones don’t quite fit right in our hands, or how men are more likely to interrupt women, the ways women are overlooked in the workplace, why certain schemes that are supposed to be ‘family friendly’ don’t work (and which ones do!). There’s information here to adjust these, and Pérez does discuss where these things are being done well.

It’s a lot of information. It’s a lot to take in and absorb, but it’s absolutely worth it. I had a job interview recently, shortly before starting this book, and the final question asked about the importance of data when it comes to EDI. I fumbled it a little – I can talk about diversity, and the importance of such, but the data element was an area I was lacking in. I wished I’d picked this book up prior to that, as it brilliantly shows WHY data is so important, and how the lack of data can impact day-to-day lives.

I will stress – if you are a man, read this. If you have any care at all for the women in your lives, read this book. It gives such a deep understanding as to what’s wrong with the world, and why it’s a struggle if you’re anything except male. Like I said above, I think everyone should read this book, but I think it’s especially crucial for men to do so. It’s been out since 2019, and things seemingly haven’t really gotten better. Still, it’s an incredible book, well written and hugely informative, and if you haven’t read it yet, correct that asap.

Reading Challenge
Be curious – Non-Fiction Challenge 2025
Prompt: Technology – Today a central part of our live. How does it work? What does it do to us? Or for us?
Progress: 12/12