Gender Inequality and Economic Growth in the Nigerian Civil Service
Oboh Jerry Sankay1, Andrew Kam Jia Yi2, Zarina Othman3, Sufian Jusoh4

1Oboh Jerry Sankay*, PhD Student Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia).
2Andrew Kam Jia Yi, Head of Centre for Latin American Studies, Senior Fellow Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
3Zarina Othman, Pusat Citra (Center for Liberal Studies). Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Ph.D. in Linguistics, Lancaster University, UK.
4Sufian Jusoh, Director Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Manuscript received on November 12, 2019. | Revised Manuscript received on 23 November, 2019. | Manuscript published on December 10, 2019. | PP: 1375-1383 | Volume-9 Issue-2, December 2019. | Retrieval Number: B6238129219/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijitee.B6238.129219
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: Gender inequality is generally perceived as a deterrent to economic growth and as a result much of effort by the United Nations, World Bank, NGOs, Nigerian government and governments around the world have been enunciated to cauterise it. While several policies have been put in place to promote gender equality in Nigeria, progress in this area is rather slow. The need to achieve gender equality is crucial. Therefore, the paper empirically examines the influence of gender inequality and female labour force participation in the civil service on the economic growth of Nigeria. The data cut across 35 states in Nigeria from 2008 to 2016. The model is estimated using a panel data Fixed Effect estimation. The findings suggested that the economic cost of an increase in men’s employment at the expense of women’s employment may have a negative impact on economic growth. Thus, the pursuit of equi-gender representation is an important measure towards, women empowerment, reducing their dependency, elevating their socio-economic status, and achieving economic growth. 
Keywords: Gender [in]Equality, Economic Growth, Female Participation, Labour Force, Civil Service, Equi-Gender Representation.
Scope of the Article: Civil and Environmental Engineering