Formulate laws to alleviate plight of working women, Don urges FG
Prof. Noah Yusuf of the Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin, has appealed to Federal Government to formulate laws and policies that will address and alleviate the plight of working women in the country.
He made the call on Thursday while delivering the 151st Inaugural Lecture of the university entitled: "Work, Industry and Society: The Synergy that Mirrors the reality of Our Everyday Existence".
The don observed that the plight of women at workplaces had attracted increasing attention of scholars in the field of Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations.
He added that female workers cross the globe were faced with new challenges at workplaces but the challenges vary across individual, work environment, nations and regions.
Yusuf noted that female workers were also faced with several health and safety hazards in work places, which were not only injurious to their personal health, but also constrain them in the performance of their job roles.
He observed that some of the challenges include multiple role stress for married mothers of young children, who engaged in full time office work and whose husbands contribute little to the household chores and childcare.
He said "there is also health risks incurred by female workers during pregnancy; and experience of strains and exhaustion due to overload work from heavy work demand.
"All these are seen to pose serious dangers to the health of female workers," he said.
The don, who investigated child-caring role and work experience of female employees in Nigerian work environment, also observed that 53 per cent of female workers were involved in caring for young children.
"This is followed by 27 per cent who indicated that they were caring for older children, while 20 per cent indicated that they were not engaged in any child-caring role," he said.
According to him, evidence form the study showed that in a number of ways, child caring role of working women has implications on their work performance and experience as working mothers.
Yusuf, therefore, applauded the Lagos State Government for approving 10 days paternity leave for men and six months extended maternity leave for female workers.
The sociology expert also advised other state governments to emulate Lagos, adding that "the leave is expected to reduce the negative implication of the extensive work life of parents."
Yusuf also focused on sexual harassment in Nigerian work environment, noting that some female workers related that they experienced sexual harassment in the forms of sexual advancement, enticement and intimidation, as well as sexual-related gestures, largely from male bosses.
The expert added that there was no report of rape during the study, saying that most respondents preferred to shun their abusers rather than report to the higher authority or the police or take legal actions.
He, therefore, called for strict compliance to existing safety laws and regulations.
He also called for wider sensitisation on the need to improve the work condition of workers with emphasis on female workers.
