International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering (IJITEE) ISSN: 2278-3075, Volume-9 Issue-2, December 2019 1375 Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication Retrieval Number: B6238129219/2019©BEIESP DOI: 10.35940/ijitee.B6238.129219 Abstract: Gender inequality is generally perceived as a deterrent to economic growth and as a result much of effort by the United Nations, World Bank, NGOs, Nigerian government and governments around the world have been enunciated to cauterise it. While several policies have been put in place to promote gender equality in Nigeria, progress in this area is rather slow. The need to achieve gender equality is crucial. Therefore, the paper empirically examines the influence of gender inequality and female labour force participation in the civil service on the economic growth of Nigeria. The data cut across 35 states in Nigeria from 2008 to 2016. The model is estimated using a panel data Fixed Effect estimation. The findings suggested that the economic cost of an increase in men’s employment at the expense of women’s employment may have a negative impact on economic growth. Thus, the pursuit of equi-gender representation is an important measure towards, women empowerment, reducing their dependency, elevating their socio-economic status, and achieving economic growth. Keywords: gender [in]equality, economic growth, female participation, labour force, civil service, equi-gender representation. I. INTRODUCTION “Women bear the burden. Women pay the price. But women are not just victims; they are agents of progress and change. Empowered women and girls are the best drivers of growth, the best hope for reconciliation, and the best buffer against radicalization of youth and the repetition of cycles of violence. There have been important advances since the Beijing Conference. More girls have attained more access to more education than ever before. Maternal mortality has been almost halved. More women are leading businesses, governments and global organizations. At the same time, progress remains unacceptably [slow], and our gains are not irreversible. We must build on the Beijing foundation and complete our work. I challenge all stakeholders to work together to achieve gender equality during the timeframe set by the new development agenda. Our goal must be: 50:50 by 2030.” Revised Manuscript Received on December 05, 2019. Oboh Jerry Sankay, PhD Student Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia). Andrew Kam Jia Yi, Head of Centre for Latin American Studies, Senior Fellow Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Zarina Othman, Pusat Citra (Center for Liberal Studies). Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Qualifications: Ph.D. in Linguistics, Lancaster University, UK- Sufian Jusoh, Director Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. – Ban Ki Moon, Opening session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 2015. The need to ensure equal access to employment opportunities, economic resources, civil rights and governance has received considerable attention as a key prerequisite for achieving gender equality 1 . The United Nation Sustainable Development Framework [1] on human rights put gender equality and women’s economic empowerment at the core of its economic outcomes hence recognising the potential of gender equality as a sine qua non for achieving economic growth. Many African nations are in line with this view as seen with the introduction of initiatives such as the Protocol on the Rights of Women 2003, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), the protocol on democracy and good governance by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) adopted in 2001. Many of these initiatives have created policies and strategies that are aligned to the Millennium Development Goals number 3 (MDG3). Although modest progress has been made in achieving MGD 3, literature have shown that women are still discriminated upon and exposed to various economic disadvantages. For example, the overall global convergence towards gender equality in education between 1990 and 2012, has not been translated in terms of economic opportunities and outcomes for women [2]. The long-standing unfair distribution of economic and financial resources in developing countries have positioned women at a disadvantaged state in terms of employment development, hence impeding their opportunities to explore their full potential [3]. [4] reported that the even though the population of women in the public sector employment is 58% larger than the average total employment among OECD countries, women still hold fewer positions at the senior level. Literature shows that this employment gap holds alarmingly in the public sector, especially in Nigeria. The public sector is the largest employer of labour in Nigeria and data have shown that women are mostly employed in the junior cadre level [5]. Women make up approximately 34% of total employment in the junior cadre between 2010 and 2015 while men dominated the senior 1 United Nation Women Training Centre defined gender equality as a state of equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities between women and men such that rights, responsibility and opportunities are not determined by sex. This has implications on women empowerment, eradicating poverty amongst women, and sustainable economic growth and development [2]. Gender Inequality and Economic Growth in the Nigerian Civil Service Oboh Jerry Sankay, Andrew Kam Jia Yi, Zarina Othman, Sufian Jusoh