Analysis of Gender and Ethnicity Intersections in Career Advancement Among Women Professionals in Abuja

Career advancement for professional women in Nigeria is shaped not only by gender but by ethnic identity dynamics that operate within predominantly patriarchal and ethnically stratified organisational cultures in Abuja's federal bureaucracy and private sector. This study analyses the intersection of gender and ethnicity in career advancement patterns among professional women in Abuja, focusing on federal civil service and banking sector employees. A quantitative survey was employed, with 250 professional women completing structured questionnaires on career progression experiences, discrimination incidents, and workplace culture perceptions. Intersectional regression analysis and qualitative thematic coding of open-ended responses were applied. Findings reveal that women from minority ethnic groups face compounded barriers to promotion, combining gender discrimination with ethnic favouritism in appointment and mentoring processes. Southern women working in North Central institutional contexts report greater experience of ethnic and gender double disadvantage than women whose ethnicity aligns with the dominant institutional culture. Women in ethnic majority contexts still face gender barriers but benefit from stronger ethnic patronage networks. The study develops an intersectionality-informed career advancement model for professional women in ethnically diverse Nigerian work environments. This research makes an original contribution to feminist management studies in the Nigerian context by empirically demonstrating ethnicity-gender interaction effects on career outcomes. Keywords: gender, ethnicity, career advancement, intersectionality, professional women