Picture a British feminist who turned data into a battle cry for equality—meet Caroline Criado Perez! Born in 1984, this award-winning author and activist has reshaped how we see gender bias in everything from banknotes to crash test dummies. With her sharp wit and relentless campaigns, she’s a global force for change, making the invisible visible.
Her bestselling book, Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, has sparked conversations from boardrooms to parliaments, earning accolades like the Financial Times Business Book of the Year. Let’s dive into the life of a woman who’s rewriting the rules of a male-default world.
The Making of Caroline Criado Perez
Born in Brazil to an Argentinian father and English mother, Caroline’s childhood was a whirlwind of moves across Spain, Portugal, Taiwan, and the UK. Boarding at Oundle School at 11, she found the environment tough but later discovered her passion for opera, briefly aiming to become a singer. After a stint in digital marketing, she studied English Literature at Oxford as a mature student, graduating in 2012. It was there, inspired by feminist texts like Deborah Cameron’s work on language, that her feminist spark ignited.
Her activism began with The Women’s Room, a project to boost female experts in media. This set the stage for her bold campaigns, like challenging the Bank of England to keep women on banknotes, proving she could move mountains with data and determination.
Caroline Criado Perez’s Game-Changing Works
Caroline’s writing blends rigorous research with a knack for storytelling that makes complex issues feel personal. Her first book, Do It Like a Woman… and Change the World (2015), celebrates trailblazing women worldwide, from activists to scientists, weaving a narrative of resilience in a male-dominated culture. It’s a rousing call to action, praised as “immensely readable” by Good Housekeeping.
Her magnum opus, Invisible Women (2019), is a global phenomenon, exposing how data biases—think male-sized smartphones or medical trials ignoring women—shape a world that sidelines half the population. With nearly a million copies sold, it’s won the Royal Society Science Book Prize and inspired policy changes, like Scotland’s gender data taskforce. Caroline’s style is sharp, accessible, and unflinching, using data like a “laser” to cut through systemic sexism, as noted by The Guardian.
She’s also a broadcaster and newsletter writer, reaching over 35,000 subscribers with updates on gender equality. Currently, she’s working on a new book and an updated Invisible Women, promising more insights into fixing a world designed for men.
Why Caroline Criado Perez Matters
Caroline’s impact is seismic. Her banknote campaign led to Jane Austen’s face on the £10 note by 2017, despite vicious online harassment that prompted Twitter to improve its complaint systems. Her push for a Millicent Fawcett statue in Parliament Square, unveiled in 2018, marked the first female figure there, a nod to women’s suffrage. Invisible Women has reshaped product design, healthcare, and AI, urging industries to prioritize women’s needs.
Awarded an OBE in 2015 and the Liberty Human Rights Campaigner of the Year, Caroline’s work proves data can drive change. She’s a beacon for feminists, showing that curiosity and courage can rewrite the narrative for half the world’s population.
- Born: June 1984, Brazil
- Key Works: Do It Like a Woman (2015), Invisible Women (2019)
- Awards: Financial Times Business Book of the Year (2019), Royal Society Science Book Prize (2019), OBE (2015)
- Fun Fact: Lives in Yorkshire with her excitable dog, Poppy!
Snag Invisible Women and dive into Caroline Criado Perez’s world of data-driven feminism—it’s a wake-up call you won’t forget!