Women’s Employment Research: Publication Trends and Thematic Mapping Using Bibliometric (2016-2026)
Abstract
Women's employment has become an increasingly important research topic because of its close relationship with gender equality, labour market dynamics, and sustainable development. However, a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of this research field remains limited. This study analyses publication trends, identifies the contributions of authors, journals, and countries, examines the conceptual structure of the field, and explores the major research themes in women's employment research during 2016–2026. A Bibliometric-Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR) was conducted using 1,408 journal articles retrieved from the Scopus database. Bibliometric analyses were performed using Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix-R), including performance analysis, co-occurrence network, trend topics, and thematic map analyses. The findings reveal a continuous increase in scientific publications, indicating growing international interest in women's employment research. Gender, Work and Organization was the most productive journal, while the United States and the United Kingdom had the highest citation impact. The conceptual structure is centred on gender equality, labour force participation, and women's status, whereas education, health, and family well-being remain complementary themes. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of women's employment research and offers directions for future research and gender-responsive labour market policies.
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