Although women make up half the global population, they are often disregarded in the increasingly important world of big data: from measuring economic growth, to disaster response and recovery, or key public transportation planning, an award-winning author said at the United Nations on Friday. 

Caroline Criado-Perez shared some of the findings from her book Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, during a presentation at the UN Bookshop in New York, following a morning retreat with senior leaders focused on gender equality. 

Nahla Valji, the UN’s first Senior Gender Advisor in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, asked Ms. Criado-Perez what inspired her to write the book, and how the global organization can learn from her research on ‘default male bias’.