This text reader provides a broad-ranging feminist introduction to the ongoing controversies of development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a collection of essays first published in Latin American Perspectives , a scholarly journal focused on the political economy of capitalism, imperialism and socialism in the Americas. The volume is organized into thematic sections that focus on work, politics and culture. Each section includes substantive introductions that identify key issues, trends and debates in the scholarly literature on women and gender in the region. This volume aims to promote critical thinking about women’s place and power, about theory and research strategies, and about contemporary economic, political and social conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean. It makes a persuasive claim for a materialist feminist analysis and explores the contributions that feminist theory has made towards the recognition of gender as a relevant, even essential, category for analyzing the political economy of development.