The Role of Guidance and Counseling in Promoting Gender Inclusion in HR Policies: Insights from Kogi State's Public Sector

The study explores the role of guidance and counseling in promoting gender inclusion in Human Resource (HR) policies, focusing on the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS). The aim is to assess how counseling initiatives impact gender inclusion awareness, policy effectiveness, and career advancement opportunities for female employees. A mixed methodology which consist of both quantitative and qualitative research design was adopted, employing both descriptive analysis from 47 Respondents and thematic analysis of responses from 10 female employees at KGIRS. Findings reveal that while guidance and counseling programs have enhanced awareness of gender inclusion policies, barriers such as persistent gender stereotypes, unequal career opportunities, and limited management support continue to hinder full implementation. The study recommends stronger management involvement, targeted mentoring programs, transparent career advancement pathways, and ongoing education to address these challenges. Conclusively, while counseling initiatives positively influence gender inclusion, sustained organizational commitment is critical to overcoming barriers and achieving equality. Semi-structured interviews qualitative data were analyzed through a six-phase thematic analysis method following Braun and Clarke (2006). Secondly, all interviews were transcribed verbatim and read through to obtain familiarity with the data. Preliminary codes were defined by identifying meaningful text fragments associated with awareness of gender inclusion, perceived effectiveness of counseling, management, and career-development support. The codes were consolidated into higher level categories through an ongoing process of comparative analysis. Themes were further checked against the coded extracts and overall data to ensure their stringency and relevance to the research questions. Finally, themes were labelled and supported by participant quotes. This coding enabled a systematic analysis of the employees’ views and experiences on the contribution of guidance and counseling in promoting gender inclusion.