Gender gap in citations, h-index, and representation: Examining the highly cited authors across continents and disciplines in Google Scholar.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates gender inequalities in academia by examining differences in representation, citations, and h-index between male and female highly cited researchers across disciplines and geographic regions. Using a unique dataset from Google Scholar, this study analyzes 21,509 highly cited authors across 191 fields and all continents. We examine gender disparities in citations, h-index, and representation while controlling for research productivity and career length to determine if female researchers experience different outcomes compared to their male counterparts. The findings reveal that women are significantly underrepresented among highly cited scholars globally (0.255 women per man) and receive fewer citations and have lower h-indexes than men in most regions and disciplines.

SUBMITTER: Goyanes M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12614618 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature