This book investigates the complex relationship between gender, social structures, and the concept of the 'gift' within Melanesian societies. Marilyn Strathern, a renowned anthropologist, draws upon extensive fieldwork to analyze how societal expectations and the exchange of goods and services shape gender roles and power dynamics. The work challenges conventional Western understandings of gender by examining how these roles are constructed and maintained through social practices and symbolic exchanges in Melanesia.

The Gender of the Gift is recognized as a seminal work in anthropological studies of gender and exchange. Scholars have noted its rigorous ethnographic detail and its theoretical contributions to understanding sociality in Melanesia. The book is frequently cited for its nuanced exploration of how gender is not merely a biological attribute but a socially constructed phenomenon deeply intertwined with economic and symbolic systems. Its analysis of the gift economy provides a critical lens for examining power and reciprocity in diverse cultural settings.