Gender and higher education: mapping gender-specific publications and future research agenda through bibliometric analysis

Gender inequality in higher education has long been a topic of scholarly debate and policy concern, particularly within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, our analysis of 1,142 gender-specific publications in top higher education journals indexed in Web of Science reveals a significant increase in interest in gender research, especially between 2018 and 2024. The United States leads in higher education gender research, followed by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, while countries from the Global South, except China, have a limited presence in the field. Transnational collaboration in gender research remains limited, with the United States playing a central role in international academic collaboration; it also exhibits strong regional partnerships among English-speaking countries. Our analysis also indicates a shift in gender research from focusing on structural and institutional barriers to more nuanced understandings of individual experiences and the complexity of gender identities. One notable gap in gender-focused research is the limited attention given to gender in teaching and learning, highlighting the need for future studies on gender-sensitive curricula, inclusive pedagogy, and their potential outcomes in promoting gender equality in and through higher education.