03/13/2026
🌸 In Honor of Women's History Month, Solace Brings Attention to the Gender Data Gap 🌸
In her groundbreaking book, Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez () reveals how the “default human” in data is often male, profoundly affecting various aspects of our lives.
Here are some eye-opening examples:
• Car Safety: Historically, crash tests have used male dummies. As a result, women are 47% more likely to suffer serious injuries and 17% more likely to die in car crashes.
• Medical Trials: Women of childbearing age were often excluded from drug trials, leading to 50–75% more adverse reactions to medications for women today.
• Health Diagnosis: Medical research frequently uses male symptoms as standard, which contributes to late or misdiagnoses for women in conditions like heart disease.
• Everyday Design: Many everyday items—phones, keyboards, safety equipment—are designed based on average male hand size and strength.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. So, why do we still label this as “neutral design”?