Mother of Invention

How Good Ideas Get Ignored in an Economy Built for Men

By: Katrine Marçal, Alex Fleming - translator

Narrated by: Sofia Engstrand

WATERSTONES BEST POLITICAL BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2021
LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL

‘I am absurdly excited for this book’ Caroline Criado Perez

Bestselling author Katrine Marçal reveals the shocking ways our deeply ingrained ideas about gender continue to hold us back. Every day, extraordinary inventions and innovative ideas are side-lined in a world that remains subservient to men

But it doesn’t have to be this way. From the beginning of time, women have been pivotal to our society, offering ingenious solutions to some of our most vexing problems. More recently, it is women who have transformed the way we shop online, revolutionised the lives of disabled people and put the climate crisis at the top of the agenda.

Despite these successes, we still fail to find and fund the game-changing ideas that could alter the future of our planet, giving just 3% of venture capital to female founders. Instead, ingrained ideas about men and women continue to shape our economic decisions; favouring men and leading us to the same tired set of solutions.

For too long we have underestimated the consequences of sexism in our economy, and the way it holds all of us – women and men – back. Katrine Marcal’s blistering critique sets the record straight and shows how, in a time of crisis, the ingenuity and intelligence of women is that very thing that can save us.

©2021 Katrine Marçal (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

‘A book with a radical agenda … Marçal wants nothing less than a revolution in the way we think about ourselves.’ The Times

‘A smart, witty and fascinating warning from history. I loved this book.’ CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ, Bestselling Author of Invisible Women

‘wry and witty … it’s high time to put the needs of all people and the planet at the heart of invention.’ KATE RAWORTH, author of Doughnut Economics

‘This is an absolute must-read. Equal parts informative and infuriating.’ DR FERN RIDDELL, author of Sex: Lessons from History

‘From wheeled suitcases to witch trials, Katrine Marçal makes you look again at history in this funny, clever and provocative book’HELEN LEWIS, author of Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights

‘…Infuriating, but always thought-provoking and intriguing. A clearly-needed wake-up call to future innovators not to view the world through a narrowly gendered lens but to pay attention to the skills and lived experiences of all. ‘
PROFESSOR GINA RIPPON – bestselling author of The Gendered Brain

[Katrine] brilliantly proves how male-driven technology over the ages has limited full human development by neglecting a liberating female narrative and perspective.’ JAN ELIASSON, Former Deputy Secretary-General of the UN

‘Mother of Invention had me nodding along in emphatic agreement. To tackle the substantial problems ahead, we cannot afford to innovate with ‘one hand tied behind our backs.’ IRISH TIMES

‘This second book by the author of Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? is both bracing and highly entertaining. Marcal’s contention is that while women have been coming up with ingenious inventions since the beginning of time, they are routinely sidelined in a world geared to men.’ THE BOOKSELLER

Great angle giving a new dimension to innovation

Great book to broaden your thoughts on society and adds an extra dimension to how innovation occurs today, or the lack of innovation to be more precise.

The book is nowhere near a dogmatic, one-sided point of view, but a very pragmatic and balanced in it’s view.

Loved it.

Rewriting the tech narrative

An incredibly fascinating account of technological development. There is much to learn, from how computing power was initially measured in “girl years” to how the financial system is rigged against women entrepreneurs.

I found that the last chapters aren’t as good as the first, but this often happens when you go from discussing the past to discussing the future.

All in all I strongly recommend this book, especially for anyone working in tech or remotely close to the tech world.

I loved the connection between innovations made by women and mother Nature.

Loved that it was a historical journey with insights into a lot of forgotten events and some important but unknown; struggled a little to catch all the narrator said but I should say English is only my second language.

How it knitted all together

Loved the book.
The text is appealing and fun to follow.
The book brings into view an amazing connection between our gender bias in viewing technology, nature which has lead us to the lifestyle we have chosen and the economy we have built around it. And how all of that will result into majority of us potentially becoming useless mass in future!!
And having said all that, the book talks of course about the possible solution ahead of us.

Relevant and poignant

For the first time ever in my life I restarted this book immediately after finishing it the first time. Short and sweet, great narrative, important information.