Tilt Consulting and White Ribbon Day 2025: Invisible Women
In the run-up to White Ribbon Day, the global day to prevent violence against women and girls, each member of our team at Tilt Consulting read assigned chapters from Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, a book that exposes how systems designed to appear gender-neutral often disadvantage women because they are built on male-oriented data. Across every chapter, a clear pattern emerged: when women are not included in the data, their needs are bypassed in the design.
From Sweden’s snow-clearing policy to public transport layouts and workplace norms, many everyday systems assume a default male user. This shapes everything from who gets injured on icy pavements to who can attend after-hours meetings.
Our team’s reflections on unpaid care work highlighted how women globally perform around 75% of it, limiting their participation in the paid workforce. Workplace systems where evening childcare isn’t considered a legitimate work expense, yet late-evening meetings are, continue to reinforce this gender imbalance.
Several team reflections explored how most workplaces are built around male bodies; from office temperatures to safety equipment and uniforms designed without female physiology in mind. Even obvious needs, such as parking access for pregnant workers, can be overlooked.
Employment rights further highlight this gap. Zero-hours contracts, gig-economy roles and manipulated maternity pay calculations disproportionately affect women, particularly those with unpredictable care responsibilities. Meanwhile, female-dominated roles such as care work face low pay and a high rate of underreported violence.
The design of everyday tools also reflects male bias. One team member described how the standard width of piano keys, modelled on average male hand size, creates barriers for many women, limiting musical possibilities because of basic design choices.
Our reflections on health and medicine revealed some of the most significant impacts. Women’s symptoms are often dismissed or misdiagnosed because research, trials and medical imaging rely heavily on male bodies in the design and testing phases. Whether through diagnostic delays or poorly researched conditions, women face systemic disadvantages because their symptoms do not match expected male patterns.
Finally, team reflections on disasters and rebuilding efforts demonstrated how gender-blind planning places women at greater risk. Shelters that lack privacy and sanitation, and reconstruction processes that fail to include women in decision-making, all reinforce inequality during crises.
The book left us with a powerful truth: gender neutrality in not neutral when data defaults to men. Closing data gaps is essential if we want to build systems that work for everyone.
Written by Bart Thomas