This is the first of four readers for students of women's studies, particularly for Masters' level courses in women's studies, and more generally across undergraduate and certificate courses as the concept of 'gender' has been introduced at all levels of curricula. The reader reflects many of the concerns that have come up in women's studies across two decades. This first volume focuses on some of the major economic and social debates in women's studies; the second volume traces the trajectory of more recent theoretical shifts in the field.