Gendered Dimensions of Labour Migration and Occupational Downgrading Among Nigerian Women in the European Union: Implications for Nigerian HRM Policy

This doctoral study critically examines the gendered dimensions of international labour migration and occupational downgrading experiences among Nigerian women professionals in European Union destination countries, developing original theoretical insights with direct implications for Nigerian HRM policy on brain drain management, gender equity in professional labour markets, and diaspora engagement strategies. The migration of Nigerian women professionals, particularly nurses, teachers, and accountants, to EU countries is accelerating, and their systematic occupational downgrading upon arrival, despite superior qualifications, constitutes a complex HR phenomenon at the intersection of gender, race, and transnational employment relations. Drawing on the Gendered Labour Migration Framework, Bourdieu's Field Theory of Professional Status, and Critical Race Theory, this study employs a multi-sited qualitative design involving 90 in-depth life history interviews with Nigerian women professionals in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ireland, supplemented by 40 interviews with Nigerian HR policymakers and diaspora engagement officials. Narrative analysis and cross-case thematic synthesis are the primary analytical methods. The original theoretical contribution is a Nigerian Women's Transnational Professional Displacement Model that conceptualises occupational downgrading as the product of three interacting forces: credential non-recognition systems, racialised professional gatekeeping, and gendered migration support deficits in both sending and receiving countries. The study also generates original policy insights for Nigeria: brain drain retention incentives must be gender-differentiated, as Nigerian professional women respond to different retention factors than their male counterparts. Recommendations include bilateral credential recognition agreements, returnee professional reintegration programs, and gender-sensitive diaspora HRM policy frameworks. Keywords: labour migration, occupational downgrading, Nigerian women, diaspora, gendered HRM