A Multidimensional Assessment of Scientific Empowerment among Women Researchers in Peru

Abstract Women’s participation in higher education and scientific research has increased globally; however, educational attainment and research participation do not necessarily translate into equivalent levels of scientific recognition, institutional positioning, or leadership. This study examined the empirical structure of scientific empowerment among women researchers in Peru and developed a composite index based on that structure. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study was conducted with 156 women researchers registered in Peru’s National Registry of Researchers in Science, Technology and Innovation (RENACYT). Scientific trajectories were operationalized through 12 objective subdimensions covering academic capital, scientific production and impact, research participation, editorial activity, institutional positioning, leadership, recognition, and innovation. Exploratory factor analysis was performed using minimum residual extraction and oblimin rotation. The data showed adequate factorability (KMO = 0.823; Bartlett’s test, p < 0.001). A three-factor solution was retained based on factor-retention evidence, interpretability, parsimony, loading patterns, and conceptual coherence. The resulting dimensions represented (1) participation and research trajectory, (2) scientific production and impact, and (3) scientific positioning and research capacity. These dimensions were positively associated but were not redundant. A Global Scientific Empowerment Index was subsequently constructed as the mean of their standardized scores. The findings suggest that the observable and institutionally situated dimension of scientific empowerment examined here is multidimensional and cannot be adequately represented by academic credentials or scientific output alone. The study provides an empirically informed framework for examining how participation, production, recognition, professional positioning, and research capacity are organized within a formally recognized national research system.