A qualitative exploration of how never-married, childless single career women cope with singlism in Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: Using Goffman's stigma theory as a conceptual lens, this study explores how single, never-married and childless professional women cope with singlism from an African context.

Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 female academics and medical doctors, and these interviews constitute the material data available at the time of conducting this research. The study was undertaken in Nigeria – a pro-marriage society, where those of marriageable ages experience workplace stigmatisation on the basis of their marital status.

Findings: The results of our thematic analysis indicate participants demonstrating coping actions at work that surrender to values that idealise marriage by either pretending to be married or entering romantic relationships to save face. Findings also unveiled participants' thinking of changing jobs and/or relocating from Nigeria as coping strategies against workplace discrimination associated with singlism.

Research limitations/implications: The study conceptualises the significance of context with a focus on institutional conformity to collectivist norms, informing the strategies used to cope with workplace biases against singleness. However, it raises new challenges for human resource practitioners to address egocentric tendencies that discriminate against singles based on their marital statuses.

Originality/value: This article makes a unique and original contribution to stigma management research that is rarely considered in studies on singlism. The value of this article is particularly significant given the broader underrepresentation of the African context in psychological research.