Gender equity in scientific production in Peru and Colombia: reality or utopia in public universities?

Background: Within the context of research, gender equity in public universities entails significant challenges that must be addressed, leading to the restructuring of processes related to philosophy, paradigm, and management policies. This restructuring enables the conceptualization of an educational paradigm in which both men and women can cultivate their potential in an equitable manner, thereby generating scientific, technological, social, and humanistic knowledge within the scientific realm. Methods: The objective of this research was to analyze the challenges and opportunities associated with achieving gender equity in the scientific production of national universities in Peru and Colombia. A mixed-methods approach was employed to gain a global understanding of the phenomenon under study, allowing for the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data depending on the research focus. The population and sample were defined by the national universities of Peru and Colombia, analyzing scientific production in both countries and establishing trends between male and female contributors. The technique used for quantitative data was documentary analysis of scientific production, utilizing the Scopus database for analysis. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with research managers. Instruments included a summary sheet and an interview protocol. Results: The results indicate a pronounced tendency toward higher scientific production among men across various fields of knowledge. This phenomenon exacerbates the existing gender parity gap and effectively relegates women to a secondary role within the academic landscape. Conclusions: It is concluded that national universities in Peru and Colombia must undergo restructuring processes in their organizational functions, with gender equity as a central component, in order to contribute to the co-construction of a fair and balanced society.