Glass ceiling goes boundaryless: a three-decade review of gender and career studies in the early, pre and post pandemic context

Purpose This study aims to map, synthesize and critically evaluate the intellectual landscape of gender and career studies research published in the early, pre-pandemic and post-pandemic contexts. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a two-phase approach that integrates both bibliometric analysis and literature review, examining 995 articles published between 1995 and 2025. Phase 1 employs citation analysis to track the development and current state of research. Phase 2 focused on content analysis of the research clusters and thematic mapping to identify and map the central and evolving research themes, research gaps and avenues for future research. Findings The findings reveal an upward trend in the scholarly output on gender and career studies. The analysis highlights the emergence of five research clusters: gendered organizations and inequalities; barriers and the glass ceiling in board access and STEM careers, international careers; women entrepreneurship; and boundaryless careers and benefits. The core themes, such as gendered organizations, inequalities and the glass ceiling, remain central, while topics like women's entrepreneurship and international and boundaryless careers are gaining prominence in the wake of COVID-19, digitization and the gig economy. Originality/value This study is among the earliest contributions to highlight research trends in gender and career studies using bibliometric visualization. The theory–context–characteristics–methodology (TCCM) framework provides promising avenues for future research and underscores relevant theoretical and practical implications. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature on gender and career studies by offering a consolidated knowledge structure and evidence-based directions to guide future investigation in the gender and career interface.