An explanation for differential career progression for women in Nigerian banking industry.

This thesis evaluated a current snapshot of women's experiences and career progression in the Nigerian banking industry. Women globally (including Nigeria) are underrepresented in the upper echelons in corporate settings. Several studies have previously been conducted to explain the underrepresentation of women in top-ranking positions based on the social exclusion and equality feminism theoretical framework. The social exclusion theory denotes the segregation of women from participating in the formal sector and securing opportunities (promotion) for solely men through the mechanism of collectivist (gender and patriarchal practices) and individualist exclusion (educational qualification) (Murphy, 1984). Whilst equality feminism suggests that working mothers' primary responsibility of childcare and masculine corporate cultures have resulted in fewer women in high-ranking positions (Lupu, 2012: Haynes, 2017). However, these studies have been conducted in developed countries, and research on the women's workplace experience concerning work and family life in developing countries (including Nigeria) has been overlooked. Thus, this study aims to provide an understanding of why women may struggle to reach senior management positions in the Nigerian banking industry. The Nigerian banking sector was interesting to study because of the introduction of the quota system and because it is perceived as a gender-neutral industry. To achieve this aim, this study adopts a social constructivist case study approach, wherein two Nigerian commercial banks were investigated. This qualitative study involved 40 semi-structured interviews (comprising 20 males and 20 females) occupying entry, middle and senior positions. The qualitative approach allows the respondents freely express their opinions about family life and career and how it affects their career progression. The interviews were transcribed, and a manual thematic approach was adopted to analyse the data. The findings of this research demonstrated that some changes had been ...