The first World Meeting for Women in Mathematics - (WM)² - was a satellite event of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) 2018 in Rio de Janeiro. With a focus on Latin America, the first (WM)² brought together mathematicians from all over the world to celebrate women mathematicians, and also to reflect on gender issues in mathematics, challenges, initiatives, and perspectives for the future. Its activities were complemented by a panel discussion organized by the Committee for Women in Mathematics (CWM) of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) inside the ICM 2018 entitled "The gender gap in mathematical and natural sciences from a historical perspective". This historical proceedings book, organized by CWM in coordination with the Association for Women in Mathematics, records the first (WM)² and the CWM panel discussion at ICM 2018. The first part of the volume includes a report of activities with pictures of the first (WM)² and a tribute to Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to be awarded the Fields medal. It also comprises survey research papers from invited lecturers, which provide panoramic views of different fields in pure and applied mathematics.  The second part of the book contains articles from the panelists of the CWM panel discussion, which consider the historical context of the gender gap in mathematics. It includes an analysis of women lecturers in the ICM since its inception. This book is dedicated to the memory of Maryam Mirzakhani.