The Role of Nigerian Women in the Workplace

948 Words2 Pages

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. “Nigeria is composed of three large ethnic groups – the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo-who represent 70 percent of the population. Another 10 percent comprises of several other groups numbering more than 1 million members each, including the Kanuri, Tiv, and Ibibio. More than 300 smaller ethnic groups account for the remaining 20 percent of the population” (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2012). In 2012, a census reported the population demographics of Nigeria of 85,420,192 men and 84,703,548 women (Index Mundi, 2012). Trade is a very large part of the Nigerian economy, with the United States’ being its number one trading partner. Dominated by oil and other natural resources, this excessive trade, and overall population sustainability, demands a workforce. Despite this workforce need, however, Nigeria suffers from a growing national unemployment rate of around 20 percent, with women having an overall 24.9 percent unemployment rate (National Bureau of Statistics, 2010). Women have the highest unemployment rate as opposed to men in Nigeria. This is accountable to several factors of Nigerian culture, representation by Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions of power distance, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance, which are a source of this culture influence. Covering the three aforementioned dimensions will attribute how Nigerian culture has shaped the country to its past and present masculine-dominated state, and give insight to how women play a role in the economy. In addition, providing a video interview from a Nigerian female, Akaninyene Umo, who has experience living in a poor city of...

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