Vol. 13 No. 1 (2025)
Journal Space and Culture, India: Asia Pacific Region

Research

Trends in the Study of Gender Issues in Central Asian Countries: A Comparative Bibliometric Analysis Using the Scopus Database

Published 2025-06-23

  • Stalifa Bektursyn
    • ,
  • Sholpan Abdreyeva
    • ,
  • Imanaly Akbar
    • ,
  • Alexandr Artemyev
    • ,
  • Bauyrzhan Pazylkhaiyr
    • ,
  • Inkar Kartanova

Stalifa Bektursyn
Doctoral Student, Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Sholpan Abdreyeva
Lecturer, Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Imanaly Akbar
Acting Associate Professor, Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty,Kazakhstan

Alexandr Artemyev
Associate Professor, Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Bauyrzhan Pazylkhaiyr
Lecturer, Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Inkar Kartanova
Master Student, Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract

Recently, noteworthy progress has been made in the transition to gender equality, and the actions of several governments worldwide have been described as steps towards finding positive solutions to this issue. Ensuring gender equality is crucial in achieving sustainable development and effective economic growth at both the national and regional levels. Various articles on gender studies in the Central Asian (CA) region were retrieved using Scopus, one of the most popular databases. VOSviewer Version 1.6.20 was employed to analyse different metrics such as co-citation networks, co-occurrences, and author keywords. A total of 132 articles were extracted from the Scopus database and analysed through five bibliometric analysis units: evolution of scientific production, analysis of authors, analysis of sources/journals, analysis of countries and institutions, and analysis of author keywords. The main findings of this study can be summarised in the following three key points: (i) The scientific output of articles addressing gender issues in the societies of CA countries remains insufficient, and the commitment to achieving gender equality does not align with international and regional interests; (ii) Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are recognised as countries that devote considerable attention to scientific research related to gender in the CA region. In contrast, Turkmenistan is identified as a country that does not engage in gender research at the international level, primarily due to a lack of materials in the Scopus database; (iii) Overall, it can be concluded that the implementation of gender equality in the Central Asian region still lacks substantial support from the state, as research related to gender issues in this area has predominantly been conducted and supported by democratic and well-developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Keywords

Bibliometric Analysis, Gender Issues, Central Asia, Scopus Database, VOSviewer, Sustainability

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