When Data Fails Women

For centuries, data has been collected with a male default, from medical studies to workplace trends. The result? Women get seatbelts that don’t fit, voice assistants that misunderstand them, and health research that overlooks their symptoms. Even crash test dummies were designed around the “average male,” making cars less safe for women.

Data isn’t just numbers, it’s who and what gets measured. When women are left out, decisions based on that data fail them in real life: in medicine, in technology, in business.

So this Women’s Day, let’s remember: better data means better outcomes for everyone. The world runs on data, and it’s about time it fit all of us.