If I understood the chapter, Callaghan’s comments outline the importance of what the authors refer to as examining power. The use of these comments help underline the lack of data being collected in an important aspect of women’s healthcare.

 

After Serena Williams described her experience in childbirth, a discussion was opened that shined a light on the “embarrassing maternal data” being collected by world health organizations. I believe the authors used this as the opening example, because it describes the way that collecting data can create change. As women began to share their experiences, and examine the data available, they recognized and brought a problem to the public eye.

 

Similar to the way that Darden at Langley presented data to her director, providing evidence that women were significantly under promoted and given raises far less frequently than men:

“Men with math credentials were placed in engineering positions, where they could be promoted through the ranks of the civil service, while women with the same degrees were sent to the computing pools, where they languished until they retired or quit.”

 

These two examples together help strengthen D’Ignazio and Klein’s point about examining power, and the power of data in proving a point. When large quantities of data are being collected that ubiquitously point to a similar meaning, they help initiate change. This is why I believe the authors chose to begin this chapter with Serena Williams example. By examining this easy-to-understand instance of how data can influence change, we begin to further understand those “forces of oppression that are so baked into our lives.”