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Book ClubsInvisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez - Feminist or Not?
Hello again Ovarit! I feel I should apologise for last week's post. I meant that the author came under controversy recently, not the book itself. But then again, that breaks one of the rules I set (focus on the book, not the author), so I should have refrained from making such a comment.
This week's book is Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez.
(A reminder that last week's discussion was on Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Join in if you can!)
Some rules before we begin:
Feminist or Not will only occur within o/Books, even if the book would be a better fit in o/FeministBooks. This is because a fair amount of the books we will cover do not belong in o/FeministBooks, and it is better to keep this discussion in one circle, rather than going back and forth.
Only books published from 2010 onward will be covered. This is because the TRA nonsense that mucks up the Feminism tag on GoodReads did not really emerge until the 2010's. I'm sure we can all agree that Virginia Woolf wouldn't give in to the TRAs, for example. ;P
While discussing the author outside of the context of the book is allowed (and in some cases required), I encourage discussion to be focused on the book itself. This is because some authors make repeat appearances, and I wouldn't want discussions to plateau just because all the talking points were established!
While I might reply to a comment, I will refrain from participating directly to the conversation. This is because I want to avoid any bias.
This section will be copy-and-pasted every Sunday.
So Ovarit, is Invisible Women Feminist or Not?
Definitely feminist. Its whole premise is entirely sex-based, no gender woo whatsoever.
In fact, it provided an early mini-peak for me. I read it shortly after it came out, loved it, sought out the author’s Twitter, and was absolutely baffled to see her getting attacked for “not being trans-inclusive.” It made zero sense to me, as up until then, I was still under the impression that everyone acknowledged sex is fixed and gender is a nebulous feeling. That was also my first-ever exposure to the term “TERF.”
Feminist. Lots of great info on the oppression/erasure of women, referring to adult human female women. Biology is a major component.
Yes, indeed. Sex, not just gender, is at the heart of much of what she documents--such as the lack of female crash test dummies. She takes women's lives--including their embodied lives--seriously. That having been said, I have no idea where she stands on trans issues.
She couldn’t possibly have researched and written a whole book on female erasure and exclusion and not think “gender” is total bullshit. The misogyny of males claiming womanhood when they have faced none of the hurdles females have cannot be lost on her.
She opens up a chapter with gender neutral bathrooms and how they just create 2 spaces for men. That section alone reveals what she really thinks imo. It’s probably also a big reason people suspect she’s a terf.
Yeah all that logic, research and the audacity to talk about female anatomy....she must be a terf 😁
I agree. Perhaps the fact she never talks about trans reveals her feelngs.
Definitely feminist! I quote it when I need to demonstrate to people (mostly men) what women are facing, in terms of what is just built into the system. The part about ploughing roads really stuck with me, regarding the unpaid labor of women taking children and elderly relatives to the dr (whereas snow ploughs prioritized the working house husband’s route)
Yes! That and the public transportation routes are things I never even thought of! Also, the part about piano keyboards being designed for men and their larger handspans made me feel so validated about not being able to play certain chords!
Absolutely! Recognizing that sex differences exist and how women have been harmed and even killed because these differences have been ignored is definitely feminist.
I think it's also a great book to help open others' eyes to the misogyny embedded in our societies. Depressing and angering, but absolutely worth the read.
I hope everyone has seen this thread:
Sort of answers the question, really.
I like the book. Some of the chapters are laboured but you kind of expect that in a popular researched book. She centres sex differences and it's a powerful book for highlighting the invisible biases that favour men in the world.
Have you a link for the controversy surrounding the author? I'm a bit nosey.
Oh, the controversy I was referring to was regarding Rebecca Solnit, not Caroline Criado Pérez. As for controversy surrounding Solnit, I believe this thread does a good job at showing that off.
Phew! Thanks. Pérez struck me as a decent sort who discovered the value of a feminist perspective through actual research. I enjoy her newsletters.
I read it a while ago so I can't recall, but if there was any gender nonsense, it was a quick acknowledgement at best before moving on. Definitely feminist, modern classic imo.
Definitely feminist! I love the book.