My son was super excited with the Lego set he got for his birthday. It had a policewoman and a woman thief! In the numerous other Lego sets he has, there is only one woman. So these were a genuine surprise.
I finally understood why my daughter, who loves Lego, always buys the ‘girly’ sets. Because in the others, there is no one like her.
Coincidentally, I am currently reading the book Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez. Which shows very dramatically how women are missing from the data across multiple disciplines. And as a result, decisions are based on male data that is assumed to be representative of all.
The result? Women are 47% more likely to be seriously injured in a car accident. Because seatbelts are designed and tested on the male body. They are more likely to die of heart attacks. Because their symptoms are ‘atypical’ (they don’t have chest pains, for example).
It really makes me stop and think. How long will we treat half of humanity as ‘atypical’?
If we can’t get women into Lego sets, how will we get them into boardrooms?
What will it take?
