Gender Dimensions of Workspace Design in Nigerian Public Sector Offices: An Ergonomic Analysis

The ergonomic and environmental design of office workspaces in Nigerian public sector organisations has rarely been examined through a gender-differentiated analytical lens, despite evidence from international literature that female workers experience distinct and frequently underaddressed ergonomic challenges in standard office environments. This study conducts a gender-differentiated ergonomic analysis of public sector office workspaces across sixteen government ministries and agencies in Abuja, Kaduna, and Enugu. An ergonomic audit protocol assessing workstation dimensions, chair adjustability, monitor height, lighting levels, and thermal comfort is applied to three hundred and eighty workstations, with detailed anthropometric matching conducted for a sample of two hundred and forty-four workers evenly split by gender. Concurrently, a Musculoskeletal Discomfort Survey and Workplace Satisfaction Questionnaire are administered to the full sample. Gender-comparative analysis reveals that female workers experience significantly higher rates of neck, shoulder, and lower back discomfort than male counterparts in identical workstation configurations, primarily attributable to anthropometric mismatches between standard workstation dimensions and female body proportions. Female workers also report lower thermal comfort and lighting satisfaction in shared office configurations. The study develops Gender-Responsive Ergonomic Standards for Nigerian Public Sector Offices, providing sex-differentiated workstation dimension specifications and environmental condition targets. Recommendations include integration of gender-responsive ergonomic standards into the Head of Civil Service of the Federation's office accommodation guidelines and procurement regulations. Keywords: gender, ergonomics, workspace design, public sector, Nigeria.