Gender gaps in school education: a two-decade bibliometric analysis

Despite significant international efforts to ensure universal access to education, millions of girls still face systemic barriers to basic education. This study aims to identify research trends and structural imbalances in the academic literature on gender gaps in girls’ schooling between 2000 and 2025. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection, applying the Analyze Results and VOSviewer tools to map thematic clusters, co-authorship networks, and citation patterns. The final dataset comprises 323 peer-reviewed articles selected from 1,083 initial records, based on their relevance to girls’ access to primary and lower-secondary education. Publications in English from the fields of education, sociology, and economics were analyzed. Research output steadily increased from the early 2000s and surged after 2015, coinciding with the adoption of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Core topics include adolescent pregnancy, child marriage, and reproductive health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Institutions from the Global North dominate the field, while scholars from the Global South remain underrepresented. Less than 3% of works are review papers, reflecting a lack of fragmentation and limited synthesis. Research should expand participation from the Global South, emphasize early education, integrate SDG frameworks, apply intersectional approaches, and strengthen policy relevance through inclusive and context-sensitive collaboration.

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