This work investigates how gender roles and power dynamics have evolved across global societies from antiquity to the modern era. Susan Kingsley Kent, a professor of history, utilizes a comparative historical framework to analyze how social, political, and religious structures have historically defined and constrained gendered identities. The text synthesizes vast historical data to argue that gender is not a static biological fact but a fluid construct shaped by shifting economic and political conditions.

Scholars and educators frequently cite this work as a comprehensive survey for undergraduate courses in gender history. Readers note the academic density of the prose, which effectively synthesizes complex historical periods into a cohesive narrative of social change.