Neglect to recognition: Embracing women as key agents in climate solutions

Women are often portrayed as victims rather as central agents of change in climate resilience and adaptation literature. Despite their vital contributions, they remain underrepresented in climate-related sectors and excluded from leadership roles, undermining both policy and societal progress. This paper highlights this critical gap in climate discourse. Using a bibliometric analysis of 384 Scopus-indexed publications (2002–present), we trace the evolution of gender-climate research through keyword mapping and thematic visualization in Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. Our findings identify three developmental phases: the Gender Foundation Phase, which established equality frameworks; the Gender Advancement Phase integrating gender-responsive strategies; and the Gender Transformation Phase, emphasizing women's leadership in climate governance. Despite progress, critical gaps remain in documenting and leveraging women's real-world experiences in climate adaptation. Emphasizing gender-equitable approaches is essential for fostering inclusive governance structures that position women as leaders, ensuring effective, equitable climate solutions driven by their unique perspectives and resilience. We advocate for future research to bridge these gaps by connecting environmental science with policy and societal impacts. This connection would create a foundation for more just, inclusive, and effective climate policies, ultimately benefiting society as a whole.