Investigating Trends and Developments in Academic Research and Publications on Gender and STEM: A Bibliometric Analysis

Despite the notable increase in women’s enrollment in education, a significant gender gap persists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This imbalance poses challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. While research on the relationship between gender and STEM has been growing, the scientific mapping of the structure and development of the field is yet to be explored. By analyzing 2903 metadata retracted from Scopus and WoS, this paper demonstrates the significant increase in research on gender and STEM over the past decade, with approximately half of the articles published between 2020 and 2022, indicating a surge in interest and focus on STEM and gender in recent years. The United States remains a leading country in research and publications, followed by the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia. Noteworthy contributions from China, Iran, India, and Turkey are also observed. However, despite the increase in international collaboration between countries, the collaboration between authors occurs within the same institutions or the same countries with limited partnerships with authors from other states. Increasing such collaboration in research on gender and STEM may bring positive outcomes for policy and practice to reduce the gender gap in STEM disciplines globally. Researchers should also continue exploring emerging topics on gender and STEM, particularly from a sociological perspective, and adapt their research to address evolving needs and challenges in promoting gender equality in STEM.