Gender, Trajectories, and Academic Recognition: Experiences of Pioneer Women Researchers in Communication in Mexico

Abstract

This article analyzes, from a feminist and meta-research perspective, the professional trajectories of six pioneering women researchers in the field of communication in Mexico. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it examines experiences of gender inequality, the impact of motherhood on academic careers, forms of epistemic invisibility, women’s support networks, and the institutional contributions of these scholars to the development of the field. The analysis is grounded in feminist theories of situated knowledge, epistemic injustice, and recent debates in communication meta-research. Findings reveal that communication Mexican academia reproduces inequalities through subtle yet persistent mechanisms, while also highlighting women’s capacity to create collaborative practices, horizontal leadership forms, and new feminist genealogies of communication. The article argues for a reconfiguration of the disciplinary canon based on the voices and experiences of these pioneers.