Gender differences in job ability perception and task performance among professionals in male dominated professions

Abstract

This study investigated gender differences in Job Ability Perception and Task Performance among professionals in male dominated professions. The study was a descriptive survey research design. Four professions from the male dominated professions were randomly selected from Lagos and Rivers States. A total of 800 professionals from the four male dominated professions namely: Engineering, Statistics, Medicine and Estate Management were selected using cluster random sampling technique. Two hypotheses were postulated and an instrument developed by the researchers (Ability/Performance Scale (APS) with a reliability value of r= .78 was used to collect relevant data to test the hypotheses. The data collected was analysed using students` t–test Statistical analysis. The findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in Job Ability Perception among professionals (both male and female) in male dominated professions; while, there was a significant gender difference in tasks given to the Engineers and Estate Managers but no significant gender difference in the tasks given to the Statisticians and Medical Doctors. The implications of these findings are exhaustively discussed.

Key words: Gender differences; Job ability perception; Task
performance.