1GENTY, Kabiru Ishola PhD, 2Bamidele Olufemi, IFENOWO
Email: ishola.genty@lasu.edu.ng 08055449450, (Corresponding author
deleifenowo01@gmail.com 08054081560
1,2Department of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management, Lagos State
University, Ojo, Nigeria.
Abstract
The study examined how worsening economic conditions coupled with shrinking employment opportunities in
the country exacerbated the pervasiveness of sexual advances to female job seekers. A survey design was adopted in the study. The survey was conducted on 125 respondents out of an infinite population using a convenience sampling technique. The psychometric property of the questionnaire used in eliciting the necessary information was tested by the use of Cronbach Alpha statistic which produced an Alpha coefficient value of α= 0. 903. The findings of the study revealed that unemployment has a significant influence on sexual advances prevalence (t =3.960; p<0.05). Similarly, the findings revealed that sociocultural factors also have a significant influence on sexual advances prevalence (t = 10.582; p<0.05) while it was also found that the existing legal framework has a significant influence on sexual advances prevalence (t = 10.7333; p<0.05). The study therefore concludes that the incidence of unemployment is a factor responsible for the prevalence of sexual advances among job seekers in the Lagos State metropolis. Based on the findings, the study therefore recommended among others that there is a need to strengthen legal frameworks to effectively address sexual harassment in the workplace, including during the job-seeking process. Further studies on this subject matter should consider looking at the prevalence of sexual advances among job seekers across other regions of Nigeria.
Keywords: Sexual advances, sexual coercion, sexual harassment, socio-cultural factors, unemployment.