Ambitious and driven to scale the barriers to top management: experiences of women leaders in the Nigerian technology sector

Abstract

The four theories—gendering of careers, glass ceiling, gender stereotypes and work-life balance—of the lack of inclusion of women in the technology sector have a certain face validity when looking at Nigeria, a historically patriarchal nation undergoing significant growth in penetration and diffusion in the technology sector. Consequently, this article is the first to further develop these theories through a critical realist exploration of the experiences of female senior managers in the Nigerian technology sector. The findings show that women technology leaders are ambitious and driven to scale the barriers to senior management roles. These four theories are extended by providing empirical data and insights into how this phenomenon is experienced differently in the Global South. The article recommends that organizations implement policies that support skilled and high-potential women employees to fulfill their career aspirations, thereby disrupting stereotypes and changing the dominant, masculine narrative of the technology industry.

Keywords:

• Gendered careers
• glass ceiling barriers
• Nigeria
• women technology leaders

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Odoh

Anne Odoh is a DBA graduate from the School of Management, University of Bradford. In her thesis, she explored the experiences of women leaders in technology organizations, to understand how they make meaning of themselves and their role in a gendered industry and a patriarchal African society. Dr. Odoh has experience working in various Technology and Marketing roles across the Oil and Gas, Banking and Technology sectors. She is also a Faculty member at the School of Media and Communications, Pan Atlantic University, where she facilitates courses in Digital Business, Technology Management, New Media and Marketing Communications.

Peter Branney

Peter Branney is an Associate Professor and a Social Psychologist at Bradford University. He has undertaken a programme of award-winning, internationally leading work exploring how men and women engage with healthcare, how they experience threats to their health, and how to improve their experience of healthcare. Dr. Branney co-authored the UK Department for Health report The Gender & Access to Services Study and led the first national study of Patients’ Experiences of Penile Cancer (PEPC), published on www.healthtalk.org.