© Kamla-Raj 2012 J Hum Ecol, 39(2): 145-153 (2012) Gender Consideration in the Kaduna State Public Sector Employment Ayuba Damina 1 , M. O. Osagbemi 2* , C. K. Dongurum 2** and I. S. Laka 2*** 1 School of Agricultural Technology, Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Zaria, Box 56, Zonkwa, Kaduna State, Nigeria E-mail: daminaayuba@yahoo.com 2 Department of Geography and Planning, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria E-mail: * <popdevt@yahoo.com>, ** < Kdongruc@unijos.edu.ng>, *** <lakashola@yahoo.com> KEYWORDS Fairness. Employment. Inequality. Education. Gender. Development ABSTRACT The paper attempts identifying the levels of employment and their determinants in the Kaduna state public sector. A total of 1779 employees were used as a study sample, constituting 10 percent of the work force. Employment was measured cumulatively using item analysis to determine the extent of employment and the five items used to measure employment were validated (0.80). Simple percentages and Chi-square were used to reveal differences in employees’ by levels of employment. Results revealed that half of the workforce (82%) was in the average category of employment, most of them males. Background characteristics such as education, department deployed to, and workplace location revealed significant differences between men and women by employment type. It recommends fair representation of both sexes in access to employment opportunities in the sector. INTRODUCTION Decent work is central to reducing poverty and achieving equitable, inclusive and sustain- able development in any given society. Access to decent employment in the labour is impaired by differences in the entry requirements between males and females, which facilitates gender ine- quality. There are wide variations in female la- bour force participation between and within countries in Africa. Available statistics have shown that labour force participation rates are lower for women than for men in every country (African Centre for Gender and Development 2002). Although an increasing number of wom- en are now employed in the formal sector, formal wage employment, whether in the public or pri- vate sector, has offered relatively limited employ- ment to women, it is dominated by men. Women are found mainly at the lower echelons in the formal sector (Chandra and Nganou 2001; Afri- can Centre for Gender and Development 2002; Bam 2010 ). According to a survey report by the World bank (2010), Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, job rationing causes those with better human capital (education) and those with more power in the household—usually the men—to take the few jobs available. On a similar note, Ogwumike et al. (2006), argued that, in Nigeria, factors affecting entry into the labour market have resulted in differences in income and ac- cess to workplace opportunities among employ- ees. Rubbery (2008) was of the view that such entry factors are both demographic and human capital endowments of individuals. United Na- tions (2002) and Surma (2007) agreed that low level of education among Nigerian women is a major problem militating against gender equali- ty in accessing labour market opportunities. According to the International Labour or- ganization (2008), in the early 2000s, women’s weekly earnings as a fraction of male earnings were 79 percent in Ghana, 51 percent in Nigeria, 45 percent in Mozambique, and 23 percent in Burkina Faso. On the contrary, Oyenechere (2008) identified culture and belief systems as major players in enhancing labour market partic- ipation for both men and women in some parts of Nigeria. Statement of Problem Access to employment opportunities in the Kaduna state public sector may differ from one person to another, due to their level of skills, education and experiences or the unit, depart- ment or ministry that employ them, including gender. At present, our knowledge of the levels of employment among the Kaduna State civil ser-