This collection of essays investigates the structural mechanisms that determine the visibility, power, and socio-economic status of women across diverse global cultures. The contributors, a group of international scholars including Eleanor Leacock and Leela Dube, utilize anthropological frameworks to analyze how gender relations are constructed and maintained. By examining societies ranging from Iran to Brazil, the authors argue that women's influence is often mediated by specific cultural, political, and developmental contexts.

Experts recognize this volume as a significant contribution to the anthropology of women, particularly for its cross-cultural breadth and focus on development. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for students and researchers in gender and development studies.