MOTIVATION AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN FINANCIAL SECTOR IN NIGERIA

Abstract

A salient factor in this problem is that motivation varies among the individual employees. Thus it is not easy to establish fixed motivational standards and expect full compliances by all employees. Although motivation may include rewards and punishment, Clemmer (1996) feels that it includes ideas, expectations and experiences. Most authors are silent about the effect of gender on employee motivation. However females have achieved a lot in positioning themselves at the top of the various professions in the general allegation of discrimination from their male counterparts who dominate corporate terrains. However, the female by virtue of nature are not fully suited to do certain jobs for either safety reasons or for social reason. Thus females are either excluded from such jobs or allowed to perform only complimentary role, while men play the more prominent roles. In the banking sector, most of the jobs can be performed by both sexes and appraising motivation among either sex will not be with extreme difficulty. The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that motivate the female staff using First Bank of Nigeria Plc as a case study, and to investigate their levels of motivation, satisfaction and the effects of these on the job performance thereof. The paper therefore, revealed that banks in Nigeria pay substantial remuneration to their employees, and this has been a source of general motivation in the industry. This factor coupled with provision of stable and secure working environments have contributed immensely to making the banking sector in Nigeria very stable; retaining employees for very long period and these are indices of staff satisfaction and the existence of motivation in the industry. It was also revealed that female employees are treated on equal terms with their male counterparts and as such are full beneficiaries of the motivation facilities in the industry. On the bases of this, the paper made some recommendations to includes; that banks should continue with their non-discriminatory personnel policies as this policies, which equate male and female employees have proves to generate satisfaction and motivation in all employees and should be continued with modification and adaptations to changes only and when necessary.