CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The relationship between inequalities in access to resources between men and ladies and poverty may be a problem that has preoccupied researchers to enhance people's living conditions and social well-being (Kabeer, 1999). 

It's strongly integrated international development with non-governmental organizations, and particularly international institutions like the planet Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in recent decades as a robust focus for poverty reduction in developing countries.

All these organizations working for international development have stressed through the international forums the importance of gender imbalance and therefore the integration of girls altogether development programs and projects and at every stage of their implementation so as to market the social, economic and political empowerment of girls (Huyer and Mitter, 1995), both in developed and developing countries.

Gender imbalances are often inherent within the structure of a corporation when there are gender segregated departments, job ladders, and networks, which are intimately tied to gender discrimination in HR practices. 

As an example , if HR policies are designed such pay is decided supported comparisons between individuals only within a department (e.g., department-wide reporting structure, job descriptions, and performance evaluations), then this will cause a devaluation of departments dominated by women.

The overrepresentation of girls in certain jobs results in the inferiority of these jobs; consequently, the pay brackets for these jobs decrease over time because the number of girls in these jobs increase (e.g., Huffman and Velasco, 1997; Reilly and Wirjanto, 1999).

Similarly, networks led by women also are devalued for pay.
For example, during a study of over 2,000 managers, after controlling for performance, the sort of job, and therefore the functional area (e.g., marketing, sales, accounting), those that worked with female mangers had lower wages than those that worked with male managers (Ostroff and Atwater, 2003).

Thus, gender imbalances in an organization’s structure in terms of gender segregation have reciprocal effects with gender discrimination in HR policy and decision-making.
An organization has sometimes been mentioned as an inhospitable place for ladies thanks to the multiple sorts of gender imbalances present (e.g., Abrams, 1991).

Some samples of how workplace discrimination negatively affects women’s earnings and opportunities are the gender wage gap (e.g., Peterson and Morgan, 1995), the dearth of girls in leadership (Eagly and Carli, 2007), and therefore the longer time required for ladies (vs. men) to advance in their careers (Blau and DeVaro, 2007).

In other words, workplace discrimination contributes to women’s lower socio-economic status. Importantly, such discrimination against women largely are often attributed to human resources (HR) policies and HR-related decision-making.

Furthermore, when employees interact with organizational decision makers during HR practices, or once they are told the outcomes of HR-related decisions, they'll experience personal discrimination within the sort of sexist comments.

Both the target disadvantages of lower pay, status, and opportunities at work, and therefore the subjective experiences of being stigmatized, affect women’s psychological and physical stress, mental and physical health (Goldenhar et al., 1998; Adler et al., 2000; Schmader et al., 2008; Borrel et al., 2010),job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Hicks-Clarke and Iles, 2000), and ultimately, their performance (Cohen-Charash and Spector, 2001).

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Gender deals with equality between men and women. Gender inequality is a particularly significant and harmful form of social exclusion, it is present in all societies, and has been a challenge to address. As discrimination is overwhelmingly experienced by women, the focus on gender equality has long been associated with women’s empowerment.

The issue of gender imbalance has birthed other imbalances that has now become a problem in the society, such as Income inequality, inequality of opportunity between men and women in the labor market, gender imbalances in decision-making, unequal opportunities in access to resources such as land, inequality of freedom of expression between women and men, especially in rural areas, and inequalities in land rights are obstacles to economic and social development and consequently to poverty reduction.

Finally, several researches has been carried out on gender inequality and workplace organization; understanding reproduction and change but not even a single research has been carried out on gender imbalance in an organization (case study of Ecobank Nigeria limited).

1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim and objectives of the study is to examine gender imbalance in an organization. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. to determine the relationship between gender imbalance acceptance in an organization and its barriers.
2. to determine the causative factors of gender imbalance in an organization.
3. to determine the extent to which gender imbalance affects productivity in an organization.
4. to proffer possible solutions to the problems.
   1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1    What is the relationship between gender imbalance acceptance in an organization and its barriers?

1. What are the causative factors of gender imbalance in an organization?
2. What is the extent to which gender imbalance affects productivity in an organization?
3. What are the possible solutions to the problems?

1.5   RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Ho:  Gender imbalance has no significant effect in an organization.

Hi:   Gender imbalance has a significant effect in an organization.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will be of immense benefit to the entire Ecobank Nigeria limited in the sense that it will educate them on the various ways that gender discrimination or imbalances can be reduced in an organization so as to foster unity and passion in the organization. Finally, the study will contribute to the body of existing literature and knowledge to this field of study and basis for further research.

1. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study on gender imbalance in an organization is limited to ecobank Nigeria limited.

1. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

TIME CONSTRAINTS: One the challenges experienced by the researcher is the issue of time; the research will simultaneously engage in departmental activities like seminars and attendance to lectures. But the researcher was able to meet up with the deadline for the submission of the project.

FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS: Every research work needs funding; however lack of adequate funds might affect the speed of the researcher in getting materials for completion of the project.

1. DEFINITION OF TERMS

Gender    Either of the two sexes (male and female).

Imbalance:      Lack of proportion or relation between corresponding things.

Organization:  An organized group of people with a particular purpose, such as a business or government department.