
==== Front
Heliyon
Heliyon
Heliyon
2405-8440
Elsevier

S2405-8440(24)13083-6
10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37052
e37052
Review Article
Tracking academic contributions to Women's empowerment in Malaysia: A bibliometric investigation
Devi Sharmila sharmila.devi@newinti.edu.my
a⁎
Thinakaran Rajermani rajermani.thina@newinti.edu.my
a
Mohamad Hanefar Shamsiah Banu shamsiahm@sunway.edu.my
b
Mohd Nadzri Nazruzila Razniza nazruzila@oum.edu.my
c
a INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia
b Sunway University, Malaysia
c Open University, Malaysia
⁎ Corresponding author. sharmila.devi@newinti.edu.my
28 8 2024
15 9 2024
28 8 2024
10 17 e370529 5 2024
27 8 2024
27 8 2024
© 2024 The Authors
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
The study implied bibliometric methods to investigate the research conducted on women’s empowerment in Malaysia from 1995 to 2023. Its main objective is to explore key trends and evidence in the field of women’s empowerment in Malaysia. This incorporates publication trends, identifying the most influential authors, evaluating the influential institutions, determining highly cited documents, and uncovering the most common keywords implied in the study in the field of women empowerment. Eventually, this study anticipated to provide a comprehensive idea of research encompassing women’s empowerment in Malaysia within a specified period. This knowledge will be useful to foster policies and initiatives pertaining to gender equality advancement and women empowerment in Malaysia.

Keywords

Women empowerment
Gender equality
Bibliometric study
Economic growth
Gender mainstreaming
Reduced inequalities
==== Body
pmc1 Introduction

The concept of women's empowerment is complex, involving several aspects of autonomy and decision-making agency. Women's empowerment, according to Parveen and Choudhury [1], is the increased control that women have over their lives, especially in relation to financial independence, knowledge acquisition, political engagement, and economic resources. Prasad [2], who highlights the critical role of women in decision-making processes and life choices, supports this point of view. To expand on this, Oxaal and Baden [3] emphasize the cooperative aspect of empowerment, arguing that to advance gender equality and remove patriarchal barriers from systems of leadership and decision-making, women and men must collaborate. Power redistribution was the key focus of the empowerment discourse in the 1990s [4], but the term itself remained vague at times [5]. Kabeer [6,7] offers a thorough framework by emphasizing "the power within" people to manage resources and make choices. This multifaceted concept of women's empowerment is presented. This viewpoint is consistent with that of other scholars, such as Rowlands [8] and Sharifah Syahirah [9], who place an emphasis on women's self-generated empowerment, giving them control over their finances, access to information, and ability to participate in politics [1]. In addition, Prasad [2] emphasizes the cooperative elements of empowerment, contending that participation in groups can raise consciousness and spur action. Despite the diverse perspectives, a common thread among these scholars is the recognition of women's empowerment as a process that involves gaining control and autonomy in various spheres of life, whether through individual self-realization or collective action (see Fig. 1).Fig. 1 Flow diagram of the search strategy.

Fig. 1

2 Significance of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia context

Women's empowerment has emerged as a crucial aspect of societal development within the context of Malaysia. Malaysia has made substantial progress in advancing women's empowerment on a national level, bolstered by legislative frameworks supporting equal rights and opportunities, such as the 1993 ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women [10]. The nation's commitment to gender equality is further evidenced by policy initiatives like the National Policy on Women and the establishment of the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development. As a result, women in Malaysia now boast higher literacy rates than men, and their presence in the workforce is steadily increasing due to these concerted efforts [10].

Despite these advancements, challenges persist, particularly in achieving comprehensive gender equality across various sectors. Women encounter barriers, including limited opportunities for high-quality employment and wage disparities compared to their male counterparts, even with higher education levels. The burden of unpaid domestic work disproportionately falls on women, affecting their overall well-being and hindering professional advancement. Implicit biases and cultural norms frequently erect invisible barriers that impede women from reaching their full potential. Additionally, new challenges have emerged with the growth of freelance employment and the evolving nature of work-life balance, posing difficulties for women balancing career goals with household duties.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make it critical to realize these challenges and the strategies employed by women to overcome them. Achieving SDG 5, which specifically demands gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, will involve achieving other SDGs, specifically those appropriate to economic growth, decent work, and poverty reduction. The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of women's empowerment in Malaysia, directing to induce awareness about how improving gender equality can help the nation move toward a more sustainable and inclusive future. In addition to being a tool for scholarly investigation, bibliometric analyses can be used to promote effective practices, identify influential research, and direct future research. Consequently, this strategy is crucial for fully realizing and advancing women's empowerment in Malaysia.

In this context, bibliometric analysis plays a crucial role in fostering women's empowerment and offering insights. It makes it easier to identify research trends, influential authors, and persuasive institutions that support the field of women's empowerment, representing its development and emphasizing areas requiring further research. Bibliometric studies can measure the impact of numerous research contributions by looking at citation patterns and highly cited documents. This enables the study to identify important studies and cutting-edge work that have influenced the discussion on women's empowerment. Additionally, policymakers and practitioners can develop policies and initiatives that support women's empowerment by using the insights gathered from bibliometric analyses to learn about the current state of research, gaps in the literature, and emerging areas of interest. Moreover, the insights gained from a bibliometric analysis inform policymakers and practitioners about the current state of research, gaps in the literature, and emerging areas of interest, crucial for developing evidence-based policies and initiatives aimed at promoting women’s empowerment. Furthermore, identifying the main researchers and institutions can promote networking and collaboration among researchers, improving the quality and significance of future studies on women's empowerment.

3 Objectives

The main purpose of the paper is to conduct a thorough investigation to systematically trace and explore the contribution of women’s empowerment studies in Malaysia provided and limited of only 97 data in this field. Pertaining to this, the study is intended to examine several aspects such as key themes, trends, and areas of focus in the scholarly landscape. By implementing quantitative assessment, the study's aim is to discover publications across various years and identify influential authors as well as institutions that contributed to the field.

By using bibliometric techniques to identify the research accomplished about women's empowerment in Malaysia, this study seeks to examine various academic contributions in the field of women's empowerment. The study's conclusions, which are based on an evaluation of the research, are significant because they will guide policy implementation, initiate debates, and develop proposals to support women's empowerment and gender equality in Malaysian society.

Considering that there are only 97 papers on women's empowerment in Malaysia that are listed in Scopus, a detailed analysis of these scholarly contributions is evidently required. To identify and assess the various academic contributions within scholarly sites pertaining to women's empowerment in Malaysia, a bibliometric study is essential. The study's conclusions will provide informative guidelines for academics, decision-makers, and practitioners who want to progress women's empowerment in Malaysia.

4 Significance of the study

The results of the study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on women's empowerment in Malaysia in several ways. First, a thorough analysis of research trends over time is provided by the study's methodical analysis of publications from 1995 to 2023. In addition to highlighting changing priorities in the academic research pertaining to women's empowerment, it will identify main themes and areas of focus.

Second, the study emphasizes the influential individuals and institutions in this research by identifying significant authors and institutions. This knowledge assists in enriching gender equality agendas in Malaysia through future research partnerships and collaborations.

Thirdly, by providing evidence-based viewpoints on successful methods and interventions for advancing women's empowerment, the study seeks to aid policymakers in their decision-making. Policymakers can outline ideas that specifically cater to the needs and challenges faced by women in Malaysia by having a thorough understanding of the gaps and strengths in current research.

In a nutshell, the study provides insightful analysis and empirical data on women's empowerment studies in Malaysia. The study will apparently offer profound insights that can direct future research drives and policy initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and women's empowerment by utilizing bibliometric techniques and the Scopus database.

5 Research questions

The study addresses the following investigation to examine several trends in research output, teamwork, and knowledge sharing regarding women's empowerment in Malaysia. The formulated research questions (RQs) are as follows.1. What are the publication trends in the field of Women Empowerment and how have they changed over time?

2. Who are the most prolific authors in the field, and what are the key themes and topics in their research?

3. What are the most influential institutions in the field of women empowerment in Malaysia, and how have they contributed to the development of the field?

4. What are the most highly cited documents in the field of women empowerment in Malaysia, and what are the key themes and topics that they address?

5. What are the most common keywords and themes in the literature on women empowerment and how have they evolved over time?

6 Methods

6.1 Data collection

The Scopus database was utilized in the bibliometric analysis to investigate works and studies pertaining to "Women Empowerment in Malaysia" between 1995 and 2023. Using the search term "Women AND empowerment AND in AND Malaysia," articles were selected from 97 journal publications that were pertinent to the study's topic. To provide a comprehensive picture of the development of scholarly contributions and research trends related to women's empowerment in Malaysia over almost three decades, the period from 1995 to 2023 was selected. The study's aim of identifying long-term trends and shifts in the field is in line with this time frame.

6.2 Data cleaning

Rigorous data-cleaning protocols were utilized to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the study. In the beginning, author names were standardized, bibliographic data was cleaned, and keywords were refined using programs like OpenRefine and biblioMagika®. To preserve data integrity, OpenRefine was employed for manual verification and standardization of keywords. This process ascertains the consistency in the selection of scholarly studies aligned with women’s empowerment in Malaysia. To confirm comprehensive bibliometric analysis, biblioMagika® was used to track several metrics, containing h-index, total publications, and citations per paper. This tool guaranteed precise bibliographic data and resolved multivalued cells, assisting thorough bibliometric analyses.

6.3 Bibliometric framework and tools

The bibliometric framework proposed by Martí-Parreño Méndez-Ibáñez, and Alonso-Arroyo [11] was utilized to examine studies on women's empowerment conducted in Malaysia between 1995 and 2023. Identifying and visualizing research themes and trends over time periods, involved extracting keywords from the dataset and creating thematic maps.

Temporal segmentation was employed to clarify changes in the areas of research focus over time. The influence and productivity of individual studies and authors were assessed using metrics such as citations per publication and h-index, which provide a numerical representation of their contributions to the academic community.

Several tools were used in the bibliometric analysis to analyze the data. The R-based package Bibliometrix facilitated to perform quantitative analysis on the.csv file from Scopus, aiding in assessing co-authorship patterns, citation metrics, and publication trends. A user-friendly program for interactive data exploration was accessible through Biblioshiny, a web interface that supplemented Bibliometrix and offered more extensive analysis of publication trends and citation impact. Ultimately, using VOSviewer, graphical visualizations of co-authorship networks and keyword clusters were produced. These visualizations demonstrate the relationships and organization of authors and research themes in the literature on women's empowerment in Malaysia.

Consequently, Bibliometric instruments such as Biblioshiny and Bibliometrix are supported to perform a thorough quantitative analysis of the dataset. These tools catered to a thorough evaluation of the research output and collaborations by making it easier to examine co-authorship patterns, citation metrics, and publication trends.

To create a graphical visualization of co-authorship networks and keyword clusters in the literature, VOSviewer was utilized. The structure and associations between authors and research themes were discovered by these visualizations, which enhanced the examination of the topic of women's empowerment in Malaysia.

6.4 Reliability and transparency

In this study, other researchers will be able to replicate the systematic processes employed in data cleaning and analysis. It is possible to share the code scripts and detailed methodologies used in Bibliometrix and VOSviewer, which promotes transparency and replication of results. In addition to that, specific instructions concerning the incorporation of instruments, data cleansing, and analysis protocols are provided to ensure that researchers can effectively replicate the study's methodology. The bibliometric study on women's empowerment in Malaysia was performed with precision, dependability, and transparency which made a significant contribution to the field of gender studies and policy development.

7 Document profiles of Women’s empowerment research in Malaysia

In bibliometric analysis, document profiles refer to the classification and analysis of various scholarly document types to comprehend their distribution, traits, and contributions within a specific field of study. To find trends and patterns in research output, this entails analyzing a variety of document types, including articles, book chapters, books, conference papers, reviews, and brief surveys.

Table 1 shows several types of documents that have been used for the purpose of the bibliometric study. Most of the publications fall under articles, accounting for 74 % of all. Book chapters, books, and conference papers also contribute substantially to the study. Review articles and short surveys indicate a smaller proportion but still suggest valuable understandings. As such 97 publications have been considered for the analysis, with articles being the most predominant type, followed by book chapters and conference papers.Table 1 Document Type of women’s empowerment research in Malaysia.

Table 1Document Type	Total Publication (TP)	Percentage %	
Article	72	74 %	
Book chapter	14	14 %	
Book	4	4 %	
Conference paper	4	4 %	
Review	2	2 %	
Short survey	1	1 %	

The literature on women's empowerment in Malaysia is dominated by articles, which reveal their scope, depth, and accuracy. The articles are preferred due to their comprehensive analyses and advanced conversations by assessing diverse aspects of women’s empowerment, such as political representation, economic participation, and cultural influences. Systematic peer-review procedures enable methodological rigor and empirical accuracy, enhancing the credibility and reliability of the study. Articles are crucial for knowledge increase and policy development because they are regarded by researchers as the main input for academic study. Their accessibility through open-access platforms and databases enables extensive distribution, permitting researchers, practitioners, and anyone making decisions worldwide to access them.

The fact that articles heavily rely on empirical data emphasizes the importance of evidence-based interventions and arguments, as well as the role that these data play in influencing research agendas and advancing our understanding of women's empowerment in Malaysia and beyond. The articles' reliance on empirical data strengthens evidence-based arguments and interventions, emphasizing their critical role in shaping research agendas and fostering progress in understanding women's empowerment in Malaysia and elsewhere. Unlike other document types like book chapters or conference papers, which may concentrate more on conceptual discussions or case studies, articles offer comprehensive insights into aspects of women's empowerment. They also offer systematic reviews, theoretical frameworks, and empirical findings that contribute uniquely to the field.

8 Types of sources in Women’s empowerment study in Malaysia

Table 2 comprises various source types, with journals being the leading with 77 % of total publications. This is followed by books, book series, and conference proceedings contributing to the overall research output. A total number of 97 publications were considered in the analysis, with journals being the prevalent source with a total of 74 publications, followed by books 14 publications and book series publications, while conference proceedings make up a smaller percentage with 3 publications overall.Table 2 Source Type of women’s empowerment research in Malaysia.

Table 2Source Type	Total Publications (TP)	Percentage (%)	
Journal	74	77 %	
Book	14	14 %	
Book Series	6	6 %	
Conferences Proceeding	3	3 %	
Total	97	100.00	

The higher number of publications in journals could specifies a strong support for peer-reviewed and periodical publications, indicating a priority on publishing research through established and reputable channels. The information provided will aid researchers in perceiving the most prevalent sources being used on the research field. Journal being as a leading source in this study will lead towards involvement of work submission into respectable journals in future to contribute on the ongoing research efforts. At the same time, the availability of books and book series may indicate opportunities for a more widespread literature review of prevailing knowledge.

9 Languages in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

In bibliometric studies, the language of publication plays a central role as it affects the accessibility of research findings. Table 3 shows that, with 99 % of all publications on women's empowerment in Malaysia, the majority of these are written in English. The scholarly group accentuates the use of English as the primary academic language for global dissemination and involvement with international audiences, and this domination reflects that. On the other hand, the one document (1 %) that is written in Malay indicates that scholarly discourse acknowledges the importance of regional relevance and local language needs.Table 3 Languages in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia.

Table 3Language	Total Publications (TP)a	Percentage (%)	
English	96	99 %	
Malay	1	1 %	
Total	97	100.00	
a One document has been prepared in dual languages.

Focusing on English publications improves visibility and accessibility worldwide, facilitating greater commitment to scholarly research and knowledge sharing. However, this linguistic bias might inadvertently leave out non-English speakers, which would restrict access to insightful research within local communities and regions. Consequently, future research ventures could investigate possibilities such as bilingual publications or translations to overcome language barriers to foster inclusivity and increase impact, making sure that study findings are relevant both locally and internationally. Scholars can broaden the scope and significance of their research by embracing linguistic diversity, which will promote more inclusive and significant contributions to the field of women's empowerment and beyond.

10 Subject area in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

Obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the multidisciplinary characteristics of women's empowerment study in Malaysia requires an understanding of the various subject areas that contribute to scholarly publications in this area. Table 4 exhibits an extraction of the topics discussed within academic publications about women's empowerment in Malaysia. With 60 % of the overall publications, Social Sciences is the most popular category, proposing a strong emphasis on the behavioral and societal aspects of women's empowerment. The arts and humanities, business, management, and accounting all make substantial contributions of more than 20 % each which reflects a range of ideas that evaluate the organizational, cultural, and economic aspects of empowerment. Prominent fields such as Medicine, Environmental Science, Computer Science, and Engineering also display remarkable representation, indicating a multidisciplinary mechanism for empowerment initiatives that consider health, environmental, and technological factors.Table 4 Subject area in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia.

Table 4Subject Area	Total Publications (TP)	Percentage (%)	
Social Sciences	58	60 %	
Arts and Humanities	21	22 %	
Business, Management and Accounting	20	21 %	
Economics, Econometrics and Finance	11	11 %	
Medicine	11	11 %	
Environmental Science	10	10 %	
Computer Science	8	8 %	
Engineering	8	8 %	
Energy	5	5.15 %	
Agricultural and Biological Sciences	4	4.12 %	
Decision Sciences	3	3.09 %	
Multidisciplinary	3	3.09 %	
Psychology	3	3.09 %	
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology	1	1.03 %	
Chemical Engineering	1	1.03 %	
Mathematics	1	1.03 %	
Neuroscience	1	1.03 %	
Nursing	1	1.03 %	

The prevalence of social sciences highlights the requirement for a thorough analysis of the social effects and behavioral patterns related to women's empowerment. This significance highlights the necessity of recognizing cultural norms, policy frameworks, and social structures that affect gender equality. Fields such as Medicine contribute by addressing health disparities and healthcare access critical to women's well-being and empowerment outcomes. Likewise, Engineering and Environmental Science provide knowledge in technological innovations and sustainability practices which may perhaps support women's economic empowerment and environmental stewardship. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to identify the challenges of women's empowerment effectively. Collaborations between Social Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, and other fields can enhance comprehensive solutions that incorporate policy, technology, and societal change. Intrinsically future research could investigate interdisciplinary ideas to improve healthcare access, foster sustainable development, and evolve gender-responsive policies in Malaysia. By including diverse proficiency and ideas, researchers can contribute to comprehensive mechanisms that empower women across various dimensions of their lives.

11 Publication trend in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

Publication trends signify the patterns and shifts in the quantity and impact of the study over time. Understanding the growth, direction, and evolution of research in each field can be gained by analyzing these trends. The publication trends in the field of women's empowerment in Malaysia from 1995 to 2024 are specified in Table 5, which also includes several metrics such as Citations per Publication (C/P), Citations per Core Publication (C/CP), Total Citations (TP), Number of Core Publications (NCP), Total Citations (TC), h-index (h), and g-index (g). The analysis shows shifting trends and an increase in patterns over the years.Table 5 Year of publication in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia.

Table 5Year	TP	NCP	TC	C/P	C/CP	h	G	
1995	2	1	26	13	26	1	2	
1996	1	1	40	40	40	1	1	
1999	2	1	30	15	30	1	2	
2003	1	1	6	6	6	1	1	
2005	1	1	34	34	34	1	1	
2006	1	1	18	18	18	1	1	
2009	2	2	28	14	14	2	2	
2010	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	
2011	4	4	78	20	20	4	4	
2012	3	2	21	7	11	2	3	
2013	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	
2014	4	3	12	3	4	2	3	
2015	6	5	43	7	9	4	6	
2016	7	3	44	6	15	3	6	
2017	4	4	60	15	15	4	4	
2018	7	6	125	17	21	4	7	
2019	7	5	16	2	3.2	3	3	
2020	11	9	25	2	3	2	4	
2021	11	7	58	5	8	4	7	
2022	11	6	16	1	3	2	3	
2023	9	4	7	1	2	2	2	
2024	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	
Total	97							
Notes: TP=total number of publications; NCP=number of cited publications; TC=total citations; C/P=average citations per publication; C/CP=average citations per cited publication; h=h-index; and g=g-index.

The table illustrates a steady increase in the number of publications over time, with higher counts noted in the most recent years, particularly between 2018 and 2023. In addition to specific initiatives in Malaysia supporting research in this area, this increase may be the result of increased global awareness of the significance of gender equality and women's empowerment. The increase in publications also could be linked to enhanced academic interest, funding opportunities, and policy developments supporting gender empowerment initiatives.

Moreover, an increase in Total Citations (TC) in certain years, such as 2018, indicates periods of heightened impact in that acquired significant attention and citation within the academic community. Factors contributing to these peaks could include groundbreaking research findings, influential publications, or societal shifts that brought attention to pressing issues in women's empowerment.

The metrics of Citations per Publication (C/P) and Citations per Core Publication (C/CP) show how the influence of individual studies changes over time. Higher values indicate articles that have made a significant impact on the academic community and have influenced discussion and additional research. The productivity and impact of publications are measured by the h-index and g-index, which have been trending upward in recent years. This suggests that research outputs have a cumulative effect and continue to be relevant.

Future research could build on these trends by investigating new topics such as the role of technology in improving gender equality outcomes, sustainability of empowerment programs, and intersectionality in women's empowerment. Collaboration amongst disciplines, remarkably when it comes to incorporating knowledge from the social sciences, medicine, engineering, and other fields, could improve comprehension and application of successful empowerment techniques.

12 Publications by authors in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

Examining the authors offers a thorough grasp of the input and influence of individual scholars in women's empowerment in Malaysia. The scholarly community has acknowledged the work of prolific writers and their productivity, as demonstrated by this analysis. Table 6 features the prolific authors contributing to research on women's empowerment in Malaysia, revealing different levels of results and influence in the research field. Al-Shami, S.S.A. from University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka appeared to be the most prolific author with the highest number of Total Publications (TP) and Core Publications (NCP), accompanied by a substantial Total Citations (TC) count of 176. This implies significant recognition and distribution of their research within the field. Comparably, authors such as Bhuiyan, Abul Bashar from University Selangor, and Ali, N. from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu also exhibited profound impact with high citation rates, representing their influential contributions to expanding knowledge in women's empowerment. On the contrary, authors such as Rashid, N. from University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka display smaller impact metrics, indicating possible matters for improving research visibility and impact. The inconsistencies in output and impact among authors accentuate the diverse contributions and expertise within the field, suggesting an understanding of collaboration opportunities and knowledge diffusion strategies. Understanding these dynamics can help researchers, institutions, and policymakers working in the field of women's empowerment make informed decisions about joint projects, funding allocations, and strategic alliances that advance agendas for gender equality in Malaysia and beyond.Table 6 Most productive authors in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia.

Table 6Author’s Name	Affiliation	TP	NCP	TC	C/P	C/CP	h	G	
Al-Shami, S.S.A.	University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka	5	6	176	29.33	29.33	6	0	
Rashid, N.	University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka	6	5	5	0.83	1.00	1	2	
Majid, I.	University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka	5	5	5	1.00	1.00	1	2	
Bhuiyan, Abul Bashar	University Selangor (Unisel)	3	3	42	14.00	14.00	3	0	
 Miles, Lilian (27667796500)	University of Westminster, United Kingdom	3	3	3	1.00	1.00	1	1	
Ali, N.	Universiti Malaysia Terengganu	2	2	62	31.00	31.00	2	0	
Elias, J.	University of Warwick, United Kingdom	2	2	18	9.00	9.00	2	0	
Freeman, T.	Middlesex University Business School, United Kingdom	2	2	16	8.00	8.00	2	0	
Haque, T.	Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)	2	13	2	6.50	6.50	2	0	
 Lall, P.	University of Malaya	2	2	4	2.00	2.00	0	4	
Man, M.	Universiti Malaysia Terengganu	2	2	2	1.00	1.00	1	1	
 Mat Yasin, S.	Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)	2	2	2	1.00	1.00	1	1	
 Mohmed, R.	Faculty of Technology Management and Technopreneurship, Universit Teknikal Malaysia, Melaka,	2	2	2	1.00	1.00	1	1	
Muhamad, S.	Universiti Malaysia Terengganu	2	2	2	1.00	1.00	1	1	
Rizal, S.	Universit Teknikal Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia	2	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	0	
Rokis, R.	International Islamic University Malaysia	2	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	
Selamat, N.H.	Universiti Sains Malaysia	2	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	
Siwar, C.	Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia	2	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	
Ying,	Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)	2	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	
Zainol, N.R	Universiti Malaysia Kelantan	2	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	
Abdollahi, F.	Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran	1	1	50	50.00	50.00	1	0	
Abdul Fatah, F.	Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)	1	1	50	50.00	50.00	1	0	
Abdul Hamid, F.Z.	Universiti Utara Malaysia	1	1	40	40.40	40.40	1	0	
Abdul Kadir, A.	Universiti Tun Hussien Onn Malaysia	1	1	35	35.00	35.00	1	0	
Abdul Rahim, R.B.	University of Malaya	1	1	35	35.00	35.00	1	0	
Notes: TP = total number of publications; NCP = number of cited publications; TC = total citations; C/P = average citations per publication; C/CP = average citations per cited publication; h = h-index; and g = g-index.

13 Number of authors per document in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

The number of authors per document offers important insights into the patterns of collaboration in the field of research on women's empowerment. Table 7, which provides insights into the collaboration trends within the field of women's empowerment research, shows the number of authors per document in the bibliometric data analysis.Table 7 Number of Authors (s) per document.

Table 7Author Count	Total Publications (TP)	Percentage (%)	
1	288	83	
2	30	9	
3	6	2	
4	4	1	
5	10	3	
6	6	2	
Total	344	100.00	

Most publications are authored by a single author with a total percentage of 83 %, indicating a widespread trend of individual contributions in this domain. This observation may indicate that various studies on women's empowerment are carried out by individual researchers focusing on specific areas.

Publications with two authors with a total percentage of 9 %, show a significant but relatively minor percentage of collaborative efforts. This proves that a significant division of study in this field comprises a dual-author collaboration, potentially contemplating interdisciplinary or cross-institutional collaboration. Publications with three, four, and five authors each display lower percentages (2 %, 1 %, and 3 %, respectively). As shown by this it suggests that though multi-author collaborations exist, however, they are less common than single or dual-author contributions.

The investigation of the number of authors per document provides insights into the collaborative patterns in the field of women's empowerment study, displaying a predominant trend of single-authored research while acknowledging the presence of collaborative efforts, notwithstanding to a lesser extent. This evidence is crucial for understanding the nature of scholarly contributions and the possibility of interdisciplinary collaboration in the study.

14 Publications by institutions in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

A thorough summary of the publications produced by different organizations involved in bibliometric research on women's empowerment in Malaysia is provided in Table 8. It draws attention to the variety of contributions and cooperative efforts made by academic institutions.Table 8 Publications by institutions in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia.

Table 8Institution	TP	NCP	TC	C/P	C/CP	h	g	
Universiti Sains Malaysia	14	9	98	5.16	10.89	6	3	
Universiti Malaya	10	11	73	4.56	6.64	4	3	
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia	8	13	87	6.21	6.69	6	2	
Universiti Putra Malaysia	6	7	103	10.30	14.71	4	2	
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka	5	9	38	3.80	4.22	1	3	
Universiti Utara Malaysia	4	9	81	6.75	9.00	5	2	
International Islamic University Malaysia	4	3	55	7.86	18.33	3	2	
Universiti Teknologi MARA	3	2	9	2.25	4.50	1	1	
Monash University	3	4	55	7.86	13.75	3	2	
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu	3	9	71	6.45	7.89	2	3	
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan	3	7	70	6.36	10.00	4	2	
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris	3	1	4	2.00	4.00	1	1	
Taylor's University Malaysia	3	2	14	7.00	7.00	2	0	
University of Selangor UNISEL	2	3	42	14.00	14.00	3	0	
University of Westminster	2	2	2	1.00	1.00	1	1	
Middlesex University	2	2	16	8.00	8.00	2	0	
Coventry University	2	1	6	6.00	6.00	1	0	
Monash University Malaysia	2	4	55	7.86	13.75	3	2	
Westminster Business School	2							
Middlesex University Business School	2	1	1	1.00	1.00	1	1	
Graduate School of Business	2							
Xiamen University Malaysia	2	1	1	0.50	1.00	1	1	
United Nations University	1							
University Selangor	1							

Universiti Sains Malaysia emerges as a leader with 14 total publications, indicating a significant research presence in this field. Following closely, Universiti Malaya demonstrates strong national collaboration with 11 publications involving national partners. With a total of 14 publications, Universiti Sains Malaysia stands out as a leader in this field of study. In close succession, Universiti Malaya exhibits robust national collaboration, as evidenced by the 11 publications that involve national partners. The impact of these publications is shown by total citations (TC), with Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia exhibiting noteworthy average citations per publication (C/P), indicating significant research outputs even in the face of fewer total publications. International institutions like the University of Westminster and Xiamen University Malaysia are present in Malaysia, demonstrating the relevance of this research area on a global scale and the global interest in studying women's empowerment.

15 A most productive institution in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

Understanding the research productivity and impact of various academic institutions is crucial for a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. This information sheds light on the contributions and influence of these institutions in the field of women's empowerment research. As displayed in Table 8, Table 9, bibliometric analysis of research productivity by institutions in women's empowerment research provides a valued understanding of the contributions and impact of various academic institutions. Universiti Sains Malaysia stands in the lead exhibiting a prolific research output with 14 total publications. The institution's high Citations per Publication (C/P) and Citations per Core Publication (C/CP) values highlight the profound influences of its contributions. The h-index (6) and g-index (3) further point out sustained scholarly influence. Universiti Malaya projected its balanced profile, exhibiting outstanding stability between TP and citations. With an average h-index (4) and g-index (3), the institution sustains steady scholarly influence. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia emphasizes research quality, displaying high C/P and C/CP values. The institution's highest h-index (6) amongst the studied institutions suggests a significant number of highly cited publications, supporting its scholarly impact. Universiti Putra Malaysia presents a greater emphasis on impactful contributions, as evidenced by high TC and C/CP values. The institution's average h-index (4) and g-index (2) recommend a sound scholarly impact. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, while having a lower TP, sustains fair impact metrics. The h-index (1) suggests a single highly cited publication, aiding its scholarly influence. Universiti Utara Malaysia demonstrates a neutral profile with a moderate number of publications and greater impact metrics. A remarkable h-index (5) indicates a consistent scholarly influence. Despite a lower TP, International Islamic University Malaysia exhibits a high C/CP, representing efficacious research. This emphasizes the possible influence of international collaborations in women's empowerment studies.Table 9 Most productive institutions with a minimum of four publications.

Table 9Institution	TP	NCP	TC	C/P	C/CP	h	G	
Universiti Sains Malaysia	14	9	98	5.16	10.89	6	3	
Universiti Malaya	10	11	73	4.56	6.64	4	3	
Universiti Putra Malaysia	6	7	103	10.30	14.71	4	2	
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka	5	9	38	3.80	4.22	1	3	
Universiti Utara Malaysia	4	9	81	6.75	9.00	5	2	
International Islamic University Malaysia	4	3	55	7.86	18.33	3	2	
Notes: TP=total number of publications; NCP=number of cited publications; TC=total citations; C/P=average citations per publication; C/CP=average citations per cited publication; h=h-index; and g=g-index.

16 Key source title in Women’s empowerment research in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

Table 10 postulates an overview of the most active source titles in the realm of women's empowerment research, providing details of the publication metrics and impact. It provides insights into the scholarly contributions and influence of these sources within the academic community by highlighting important publication metrics and impact indicators “Asian Journal of Women's Studies," published by the University of Huelva, projected total citations of 31 entirely, with Cite Score of 1.78, and SJR score of 0.464, advocating a significant impact in the field of women empowerment study. "Economic and Industrial Democracy," published by Springer, provides a reputable Cite Score of 2.44 entirely and SJR with a total of 0.9, highlighting its average influence. The "Journal of Sustainability Science and Management" and "Social Indicators Research," both published by Springer Nature, contribute substantially with 5 and 64 total citations, correspondingly. Conversely, similar sources, such as "Kajian Malaysia" and "World Applied Sciences Journal," indicated fewer information metrics but demonstrated noteworthy research data with 15 and 10 total citations, correspondingly. While the information on "Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication" and "Advanced Science Letters" is insufficient, the data mutually point out the variety and impact of source titles in the women's empowerment research landscape.Table 10 Most active source titles in Bibliometric studies of Women’s Empowerment in Malaysia.

Table 10Source Title	TP	TC	Publisher	Cite Score	SJR 2020	SNIP 2020	
Kajian Malaysia	4	15	Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia	N/A	N/A	N/A	
World Applied Sciences Journal	3	10	International Digital Organization for Scientific Information (IDOSI)	N/A	N/A	N/A	
Economic and Industrial Democracy	2	2	Springer	2.44	0.9	1.252	
Asian Journal of Women's Studies	2	31	University of Huelva	1.78	0.464	1.099	
Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication	2	18	Sun SITE Central Europe	N/A	N/A	N/A	
Advances in Environmental Biology	2	2	Palgrave Macmillan	1.06	0.283	0.713	
 Gender in Management	2	11	American Accounting Association	3.53	1.085	1.995	
 Asia in Transition	2	1	Springer Nature	4.07	1.419	2.354	
 A Kaleidoscope of Malaysian Indian Women’s Lived Experiences: Gender-Ethnic Intersectionality and Cultural Socialisation	2	0	Emerald Publishing Limited	7.72	2.323	3.797	
Social Indicators Research	2	64	Springer Nature	0.97	0.219	0.819	
Journal of Sustainability Science and Management	2	5	American Accounting Association	0.51	0.221	0.454	
 Pneuma	1	0	American Accounting Association	0.43	0.155	0.503	
Advanced Science Letters	1	1	Elsevier B. V.	N/A	N/A	N/A	
International Journal of Islamic Thought	1	1	IGI Global	0.00	0.102	0.101	
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes	1	18	Springer Nature	N/A	N/A	N/A	
Notes: TP = total number of publications; TC=total citations; CiteScore = average citations received per document published in the source title; SJR = SCImago Journal Rank measures weighted citations received by the source title; SNIP = source normalised impact per paper measures actual citations received relative to citations expected for the source title’s subject field.

Evaluating institutional output through bibliometric analysis is essential to recognize leading research contributors and provide insight into the influence of their study. Metrics such as Citations per Publication (C/P), Citations per Core Publication (C/CP), h-index, and g-index shed light on research quality and influence. This investigation encourages collaboration by emphasizing important contributors, guides policy and funding decisions by stressing high impact institutions and facilitates strategic planning by identifying strengths and areas for enhancement. Eventually, it gives profound knowledge to update research agendas, policy decisions, and collaborative efforts on women's empowerment (see Fig. 2).

17 Analysis of keyword co-occurrence in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia

The analysis of keywords examined is based on the co-occurrence of author keywords. Based on the 591 keywords, 19 fulfilled the criteria with a minimum n threshold of 5. Fig. 3 demonstrates the network visualization of the keywords, in which the larger circle implies a greater frequency of the keywords [12]. The network visualization indicated three clusters, “Malaysia” being the leading keyword due to the frequency of occurrence. The keywords are assembled based on the strengths of their relationship, with each cluster acquiring a primary keyword that emerged, showing a high frequency of occurrence in the publication [13]. Several keywords such as decision-making, gender, human, and microfinance highlighted higher average citation scores, indicating their influence in the research. Besides that, women’s empowerment, women’s status, and similar terms have relatively lower average citations, but display diversity in occurrences and relationships. Some other keywords such as Southeast Asia and developing countries have moderate citation scores with research across multiple clusters. Malaysia and Women Empowerment have significantly higher occurrences and diverse links specifying their importance in the database.Fig. 2 Total publications and citations by year in bibliometric studies of Women’s empowerment in Malaysia.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3 Network visualization map of the co-occurrence of keywords.

Fig. 3

Based on keyword frequencies, some terms appear significantly, exhibiting an increased scholarly emphasis. For example, Women lead substantial attention, highlighting widespread research contributed to various facets of women’s lives, empowerment, and societal positions on research done in Malaysia. Likewise, Malaysia emerged as a deliberate examination of women’s empowerment from economic and socio-cultural perspectives. The rate of recurrence of Women Empowerment indicated a dedicated review into empowering women, reflecting a research commitment to exploring the complexities of achieving a progressive societal revolution in Malaysia.

The term Article shows moderate frequency, indicating more research undertakings on the areas by systematically strengthening the research findings. Likewise, Gender indicates average frequency, emphasizing a thorough study of gender shift along with women’s empowerment. Within the lower domain occurrence such as Developing Country and Ethnicity, it shows comparatively weakened emphasis with the research on women’s empowerment in Malaysia. Meanwhile, keywords such as Microfinance and Women’s Status represent specialized fields of interest, fostering a unique exploration of empowerment dynamics.

18 Discussion

97 articles published since the early 1995s were included in the bibliometric analysis, sourced from the Scopus database. Scopus emerged as one of the prevalent and most widespread databases of peer-reviewed literature, comprising a wide range of disciplines and publications from respectable publishers worldwide. Its vast coverage enables the study to capture a diverse array of research articles appropriate to women's empowerment in Malaysia, permitting an inclusive analysis of the research setting. Scopus also provides vigorous bibliometric data, including citation counts, author affiliations, and keyword analysis, which are fundamental for managing extensive bibliometric studies. Generally, by leveraging the proficiencies of Scopus, the study can acquire a thorough and reliable dataset for analysis, enabling it for significant insights into the trends and patterns of women's empowerment research in Malaysia.

The findings of the bibliometric analysis were debated about the five research questions.1. What are the publication trends in the field of Women Empowerment and how have they changed over time?

First, viewing the research trend in Women's Empowerment, the investigation of publication trends indicates outstanding growth and rising influence over time. The total number of publications has progressively escalated, reaching a peak of 11 in both 2020 and 2021, related to only two publications in 1995. Despite having fluctuations in the number of cited publications and total citations, the overall patterns support an increasing trajectory, representing a developing interest and recognition of research in Women's Empowerment. The average citations per publication (C/P) and citations per core publication (C/CP) metrics alter across years, indicating fluctuations in the influence of individual studies. Nevertheless, the h-index and g-index values have largely risen over time, representing a cumulative impact and rising impact of research on women's empowerment. These movements accentuate the essential of persistent scholarly engagement and collaboration to forward movement gender equality agendas effectively.2. Who are the most prolific authors in the field, and what are the key themes and topics in their research?

Secondly, research was accomplished to identify the most productive authors and the institutions that have prompted the advancement in the research field. In scrutinizing the landscape of women's empowerment research, analysis of prolific authors reveals varying levels of impact and productivity. Al-Shami, S.S.A. from University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka appears as a key total with 5 publications and a remarkable total citation count (TC) of 176, indicating substantial influence. Notably, Al-Shami's work claims high average citations per publication (C/P) and citations per cited publication (C/CP). Correspondingly, Bhuiyan, Abul Bashar from University Selangor, and Ali, N. from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu explain significant impact with great citation rates. However, several authors like Rashid, N. from University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka show lower citation metrics notwithstanding their productivity. This brief analysis emphasizes the importance of gauging both productivity and impact in evaluating scholarly contributions to women's empowerment research, proposing valuable understandings for future undertakings in developing gender equality initiatives. In addition, the study portrayed the number of authors per document to illustrate the collaboration patterns within women's empowerment research. Most publications (83.72 %) are assigned to a single author, suggesting a rampant trend of individual influences in this domain. This specifies that several studies on women's empowerment are steered by individual researchers, potentially aiming at specific areas within the field. Dual-author collaborations embody a remarkable but relatively minor percentage (8.72 %) of the total publications, indicating some level of collaborative effort. This proposes that a significant portion of research in this field implies partnerships between two authors, possibly reflecting interdisciplinary or cross-institutional collaboration. Publications with three, four, and five authors each establish minor percentages (ranging from 1.16 % to 2.91 %), indicating less common multi-author collaborations compared to single or dual-authored works. Nonetheless, the occurrence of publications with six authors (1.74 %) implies that some studies involve larger groups of contributors, possibly indicative of more widespread research projects or interdisciplinary accomplishments the nonexistence of listed authors in conference review documents underlines a specific category where authorship information is not applicable.

In summary, the analysis of the study offers a valuable understanding of the collaborative dynamics within women's empowerment research, highlighting a major trend of single-authored works while acknowledging the presence of collaborative efforts, notwithstanding to a lesser extent. Such insights are instrumental in understanding the nature of scholarly contributions and the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration in the field.3. What are the most influential institutions in the field of women empowerment in Malaysia, and how have they contributed to the development of the field?

Thirdly, the study investigated the most dominant institutions in the field of women empowerment in Malaysia and scrutinized their contributions to the development of the field. In the context of women's empowerment research in Malaysia, several institutions have emerged as leading contributors, each leaving an apparent mark on the expansion of the field. Among these, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) stands out notably, exhibiting a strong commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering research on women's empowerment. With a notable tally of 14 total publications and an impressive Citations per Publication (C/P) of 5.16, USM highlights its significant scholarly impact. Through its research accomplishments, USM has shed light on significant issues affecting women in Malaysia, extending from gender equality in education to women's involvement in the workforce. This institution's contributions have not only widened the academic perception of women's empowerment but have also fostered policy and advocacy initiatives designed to promote gender equity in Malaysian society. Equally, Universiti Malaya remained influential in research related to women's empowerment, with a total of ten publications and a reasonable profile of citations. The institution’s endeavours to meticulous research practices and interdisciplinary collaboration generated greater knowledge of the socio-economic and political dimensions of gender equality. By tackling significant issues such as women's rights, approach to healthcare, and gender-based violence, Universiti Malaya has contributed meaningfully to the growth of empirical studies for advancing women's empowerment agendas in Malaysia. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has also played an important role in women's empowerment research, by contributing higher research output and high-impact metrics. With a total of 8 publications and Citations per Publication (C/P) of 6.21, UKM has made a significant contribution towards knowledge on gender mainstreaming and women's rights advocacy. Through its research initiatives, UKM has been dynamically involved policymakers and organizations to create positive shifts and address the challenges of women's empowerment in Malaysia. Moreover, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has made a significant contribution to women's empowerment outlines, through an emphasis on higher contributions and high citation rates. With a total of six publications and an outstanding Citations per Publication (C/P) of 10.30, UPM has achieved groundbreaking in several issues such as women's access to agricultural resources, rural development, and sustainable livelihoods. By producing empirical knowledge and advanced solutions, UPM played an important role in communicating policy interventions and development initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and empowering women in Malaysia. Generally, these influential institutions have led to the enhancement of the women's empowerment study in Malaysia through their rigorous research, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting policy change.4. What are the most highly cited documents in the field of women empowerment in Malaysia, and what are the key themes and topics that they address?

Fourth, the study aimed to identify the most highly cited documents in the field of women empowerment in Malaysia, accompanied by the key themes and topics they address. The exploration of the most highly cited documents exposes a handful of different source titles contributing significantly to the study. Among these, the "Asian Journal of Women's Studies" arises as a leading source, published by the University of Huelva, with a remarkable total citation count of 31 and a Cite Score of 1.78, indicating its substantial influence. Furthermore, "Economic and Industrial Democracy," published by Springer, displays notable impacts with a respectable Cite Score of 2.44, underpinning its relevance in the field. Other influential sources include "Gender in Management" by the American Accounting Association and "Social Indicators Research" by Springer Nature, each contributing substantially to the research with 11 and 64 total citations, respectively. Additionally, sources such as "Kajian Malaysia" and "World Applied Sciences Journal," emphasize their extensive research contribution to women's empowerment research notwithstanding their limited metric data. While some sources such as "The Journal of Sustainability Science and Management" and "Health and Quality of Life Outcomes" determine reasonable citations, their contribution highlights the interdisciplinary nature of women's empowerment study and its link with fields such as sustainability and health outcomes. Overall, the analysis highlights the multidisciplinary nature of women's empowerment research in Malaysia and the diverse range of tiles contributing to the scholarly dialogue addressing key themes such as gender equality, political participation, economic empowerment, and social indicators, thereby reflecting the multifaceted nature of women's empowerment and its importance in societal development and progress.5. What are the most common keywords and themes in the literature on women empowerment and how have they evolved over time?

Finally, the study examined the keywords used by the authors in these publications. The analysis of keyword frequencies in the literature on women's empowerment in Malaysia disclosed some major themes and trends. The visualization network pointed to three main clusters, with the keyword "Malaysia" arising as the central theme, showing an important research focus on the Malaysian context. This denotes a thoughtful exploration of women's empowerment within the unique socio-cultural and economic landscape of Malaysia. The keyword "Women" directs substantial attention, reflecting wide research dedicated to understanding various facets of women's lives, empowerment, and societal roles. This suggests a rigorous determination to systematically explore the experiences and challenges confronted by women in Malaysia, and strategies for their empowerment. In the same way, the term "Women Empowerment" conveys a specific study into the empowerment of women, focusing on investigation into strategies, challenges, and outcomes pertaining to fostering women's empowerment in Malaysia. Moderate keyword occurrences, such as "Gender" and "Article," propose a thorough investigation of expansive gender-related studies of research articles on women's empowerment. Alternatively, keywords like "Developing Country" and "Ethnicity" display minor occurrences, signifying that while these factors are important, they may not create major themes in the literature on women's empowerment in Malaysia. This applies those other dimensions, such as socioeconomic or educational factors, which will be considered in the research. Within the spectrum of unique and specific keywords, such as "Microfinance" and "Women's Status" imply a dedicated discovery of financial empowerment and societal perceptions of women. These keywords contribute to the subtle understanding of women's empowerment ahead of economic or individual perspectives, adding intensity to research discussions on the topic. Generally, the analysis of keyword frequencies indicates a multidimensional way to study women's empowerment in Malaysia, incorporating socio-cultural, economic, and individual perspectives. The projection of certain themes reflects the advancement of women's empowerment research and highlights the diverse range of factors influencing women's lives in Malaysia.

19 Critical reflection on findings and future direction

19.1 Research gap

The bibliometric analysis indicated several significant gaps in the literature on women's empowerment in Malaysia.

First, 83.72 % of the publications are single-authored, indicating an underrepresentation of collaborative research. This array necessitated the need for more cross-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborations that could yield deeper and more thorough understandings of women's empowerment.

Second, it's apparent that intersectional factors haven't been thoroughly explored. For instance, terms like "Developing Country" and "Ethnicity" rarely appear. This implies that essential components such as socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and the differences between rural and urban areas are not being fully investigated, thus highlighting the need for more inclusive and nuanced research in the future.

Ultimately, the focus of the occurring research is mainly on policy and academic settings, paying little attention to community-driven initiatives and impacts at the grassroots level. To tackle this, it would be beneficial for future research to incorporate empirical studies into women's lived experiences. These studies would offer valuable perspectives and promote a more comprehensive comprehension of women's empowerment in diverse settings.

19.2 Future research

Research on women's empowerment in Malaysia should concentrate more on collaborative and interdisciplinary studies in the future. This will generate diverse viewpoints from health, political science, economics, and sociology, and will make the study more thorough and reliable. A comprehensive evaluation of intersectionality is essential, as it would explore the ways in which gender intersects with other social constructs such as age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geography. This would enable a more nuanced understanding of the experiences of empowerment that differ among various groups of women.

In addition, longitudinal research would provide insightful information about how policies and initiatives affect a population over time, making it easier to identify recurring problems and new trends.

Finally, a community-centric research approach that involves direct interaction with local women and leaders would provide useful insights into the efficacy of empowerment programs and highlight both areas that require improvement and successful strategies. This diverse strategy would help create a more comprehensive and meaningful understanding of women's empowerment in Malaysia.

20 Implications for policy and practice

Practical and policy implications highlight important areas that require additional attention. Because women's empowerment is multifaceted, policymakers need to create evidence-based policies that ensure inclusivity across a range of societal segments. Policymakers must create practical policies that guarantee inclusivity for a broad spectrum of societal groups and acknowledge the complex dimensions of women's empowerment. Encouraging collaboration between academic institutions, governmental agencies, and non-governmental groups can enhance the principles of empowerment programs by pooling resources and utilizing special mechanisms. Adopting an intersectional perspective during the policy-making process is essential to effectively tackle the various obstacles faced by women from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, and geographic locations.

In a nutshell, noteworthy developments and patterns in the field of women's empowerment research in Malaysia were identified by the bibliometric analysis. It is critical to address the identified research gaps and focus on future directions to make significant progress in the field and inform practices and policies that support women's empowerment and gender equality.

21 Limitation of study

The study confronted two main limitations. Firstly, the study relied on data retrieved from the SCOPUS database, which may potentially neglect another source of study about women's empowerment study. Furthermore, some databases may have provided limited bibliometric data, affecting the comprehensiveness of the analysis.

Secondly, the analysis of the study and networking patterns such as keywords, citations, and co-occurrences were exclusively based on bibliometric data from SCOPUS. Consequently, the systematic literature review is crucial for a more comprehensive insight into topic evolution in Women empowerment study.

Since the focus of the study was women's empowerment in Malaysia, the results may not generalize to other countries. The inability to compare and extrapolate findings across various cultural, social, and economic contexts is hampered by this geographic focus. When applying research results outside of the Malaysian context, care must be taken to ensure that regional variations in women's empowerment issues and their solutions are considered.

22 Conclusion

In a nutshell, this study has provided a comprehensive understanding of the trends, patterns, and dynamics of women's empowerment research in Malaysia. Recognizing the research trend in this field is crucial for developing gender equality agendas and fostering women's empowerment effectively. By evaluating research trends over time, the study is equipped to perceive areas of progress, current issues, and gaps in knowledge, thus acquiring policy decisions, leading research agendas, and nurturing collaboration among stakeholders. The study’s widespread bibliometric analysis, which comprises 97 articles retrieved from the Scopus database, has illustrated countless aspects of women's empowerment research in Malaysia such as key contributors, influential institutions, collaboration patterns, highly cited documents, and prominent themes and trends within the literature.

The results from the study provide meaningful development and increasing impacts of women's empowerment research in Malaysia over time. As observed, a continuous growth in the number of publications, citations, and impact metrics, represents an increasing interest and recognition of the research. This highlights the significance of continuous research involvement and collaboration to further gender equality programs effectively. The study in addition revealed the essential role of certain institutions, such as Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Universiti Putra Malaysia, towards influencing research and nurturing discourse on women's empowerment in Malaysia. These institutions have made extensive contributions to forward knowledge, advising policy initiatives, and promoting gender equity in Malaysian society.

Moreover, the analysis of collaboration patterns denoted a prevalent trend of single-authored works, signifying the dominance of individual contributions in the study of women’s empowerment. However, the study also detected a minimum level of collaborative endeavours, mainly in dual-author collaborations, considering interdisciplinary or cross-institutional collaboration in the research community. Likewise, highly cited documents and keyword occurrences in the study gave an understanding of the key themes and topics directed in the literature on women's empowerment in Malaysia. Prominent themes also have been traced such as gender equality, political participation, economic empowerment, and social indicators, reflecting the multidimensional nature of women's empowerment and its importance in societal development and progress. Notwithstanding this significant knowledge, the study asserts limitations with its dependence on a single database which is Scopus for data recovery and the incapability to assess the attributes of studies beyond bibliometric displays. Future studies could seize these restrictions by using several databases and applying systematic literature reviews to provide a more inclusive understanding of women's empowerment research in Malaysia.

Overall, this study contributes to the increasing body of literature review on women's empowerment and offers a basis for further research, policy enhancement, and advocacy efforts intended to promote gender equality and women's empowerment in Malaysia and beyond. By continuing to evaluate and examine trends in women's empowerment, the study can reinforce the determination to advance gender equity as evidence-based, informed, and significant.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Sharmila Devi: Writing – original draft, Data curation, Conceptualization. Rajermani Thinakaran: Supervision, Resources, Investigation. Shamsiah Banu Mohamad Hanefar: Validation, Software, Formal analysis. Nazruzila Razniza Mohd Nadzri: Project administration, Investigation, Funding acquisition.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by INTI International University under grant ID INTI-FBC-01-19-2023. The authors would like to thank INTI International University for providing the resources and support necessary to carry out this study.
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