Occupational Segregation by Gender in Nigerian Labour Markets: A Decomposition Analysis Across Sectors and Geopolitical Zones

This doctoral study conducts a comprehensive decomposition analysis of occupational segregation by gender across sectors and geopolitical zones in Nigerian labour markets, making an original empirical and theoretical contribution to the gender and work literature in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite decades of gender equality advocacy, Nigerian labour markets remain characterised by deep horizontal and vertical occupational segregation, yet no prior study has applied rigorous decomposition methodology to simultaneously estimate the contributions of qualification differences, employer discrimination, social norms, and spatial factors to observed segregation patterns. Using Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition extended to occupational choice contexts and multilevel regression, this study analyses the Nigerian General Household Survey and Labour Force Survey micro-data from 2019 to 2023, supplemented by 80 qualitative interviews with women workers, employers, and gender policy officials across all six geopolitical zones. The original theoretical contribution is a Nigerian Gendered Labour Market Stratification Model that integrates cultural-religious patriarchy, state capacity deficits in gender enforcement, and household bargaining power as endogenous determinants of occupational distribution, departing from purely human capital or discrimination-focused frameworks. Findings demonstrate that unexplained discrimination and cultural norm effects account for 58 percent of the gender occupational gap at the national level, but this proportion varies dramatically by zone, from 71 percent in the North East to 39 percent in the South East, suggesting that culture-conscious policy targeting is required. The study provides the most granular decomposition of Nigerian gender occupational segregation available in the academic literature. Keywords: occupational segregation, gender, labour market decomposition, geopolitical zones, Nigeria