Academic Trajectories of Latin American Female Researchers in the Field of Physical Activity and Health.

BACKGROUND

Women remain underrepresented in academic leadership globally, particularly in health fields. In Latin America, limited funding, centralized research systems, and institutional inequities further restrict women's advancement. In physical activity and health research, these disparities may limit perspectives shaping evidence and policy. We examined institutional environments, authorship patterns, and factors associated with women researchers' progression across Latin America.

METHODS

We conducted an observational study across 13 Latin American countries using 3 approaches: (1) a cross-sectional survey using the Culture Conducive to Women's Academic Success (CCWAS) instrument, with normalized domain scores analyzed descriptively and visualized with equiplots in R; (2) a network analysis of institutional, demographic, and productivity variables using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regularization and centrality metrics; and (3) bibliometric analysis of PubMed-indexed publications to assess gendered authorship trajectories and team composition.

RESULTS

Among 121 participants, midcareer researchers reported the lowest CCWAS scores, particularly for work-life balance, whereas senior researchers reported the highest supportive leadership scores. Academic culture perceptions varied across countries. Network analysis identified principal investigator roles, coauthorship, and supportive leadership perceptions as central factors associated with academic productivity. Bibliometrics showed that women more often progressed from contributor to first-author roles than to last-author positions. Teams with female first and last authors had the highest proportion of women contributors.

CONCLUSIONS

Achieving gender equity in physical activity and health research in Latin America requires more than representation. Institutional efforts to promote inclusive leadership, supportive environments, and midcareer advancement are essential for equitable, resilient research systems.