Gender differences among first authors in research focused on the Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality

In 2016, the United Nations officially launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. Among the seventeen SDGs, Gender Equality (SDG5) is recognized as important for the achievement of the other sixteen goals because gender inequality exists across education, employment opportunities, healthcare facilities, life expectancy, family life, and political participation, thereby holding back the capacity of half of the world’s population to contribute to solutions to the global challenges. This bibliometric study explores gender balance and differences within SDG5 oriented research during the first five years after the implementation of SDG5 in 2016. Unlike most research oriented at other SDGs, this field of research has low activity and a dominance of female researchers. Within the field, male and female researchers focus on partly different topics. Publications by male researchers tend to be more cited while potential readers show more interest in publications by female researchers. This investigation highlights the importance of increasing gender diversity in SDG5-related studies, which is helpful for the achievement of sustainable development.