*******The Default Male********

Sunday March 8th marks International Women's Day. This day is a global celebration of women's social, economic, cultural, political and personal achievements of all women.

A perfect day if you will to call to action women's equality in a male dominated world.

On that subject I was recently recommended a book by a female friend called "Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men" by Caroline Criado Perez.

I downloaded it to my Amazon Audible library, as listening to books is my preferred method in my busy fast moving life. Unfortunatley I do not have the luxury to sit and read books very often.

And although I am only at the start of listening to this audible book, it has already been quite the eye-opener...

The Default Male

One such revelation of the data bias uncovered that I have learnt relates to emoji's.

We are all familiar with emojis in our current world of smart phones and internet usage, some using them, while others balking at their use.

It appears that emoji's are the worlds fastest growing language in modern times used by 90% of the world's online population.

This language originated in Japan in the 1980s and women are it's heaviest users (78%). And yet, until recently the world of emoji's was curiously male.

In 2016 Unicode changed this and abandoned their previously neutral gender stance they decided explicitly gender all emoji's which related to people.

So instead of "runner" which had been universally represented as "male runner" Unicode issued code for explicit "male runner" and explicit "female runner".

Male and female options now exist for all professions and athletes. A small but significant victory for women!

Why do Women need handbags - while Men's clothes have deep pockets?

I am thoroughly enjoying this informative "listen" and the evidence displayed and presented regarding the gender data gap.
The preface to this book states in reference to the gender data gap that "it is not generally malicious or even deliberate, but the opposite. It is simply the product of a way of thinking that has been around for millennia and is therefore a kind of "not thinking" a "double not thinking", men go without saying and women don't get said at all. Because when we say "human" on the whole we mean man"

Is it a coincidence or is it more a cause and a consequence of the type of "unthinking" that perceives humanity as almost exclusively male?

An Equal World is an Enabled World

Wishing you all a very Satisfying Saturday and to all the WA ladies I hope you all have a Super Sunday and a Happy International Women's Day! ~ Jules