Glass Ceilings & Leaky Pipelines: Gender Disparity in the Casino Industry

While women account for over half the hospitality workforce there is a gap in leadership positions. This study evaluates 10,950 management positions in 972 United States commercial and Native American casinos, as of December 2016. The results show women hold 35.5% of manager and above positions. Women lead in departments such as human resources, public relations, and sales and events, but lag in casino operations management. This demonstrates horizontal occupational segregation. The results also indicate women represent 46.7% of managers, but significantly less of executive leadership. Women held only 19.4% of owner, president, and chief positions. This suggests vertical occupational segregation or a potential glass ceiling. Gaps in vertical leadership occur across individual departments as well

Where Women Stand in Tribal vs. Non-Tribal Gaming Leadership

Tribal casinos operate for the economic development and self-sufficiency of their members so additional profit generated directly benefits their communities. Gender diversity has been shown to increase firm performance across different types of business so if tribal casinos have gender diversity in management they may be able to increase their profits. This study evaluates casino management positions in 405 tribal and 567 non-tribal casinos in the United States. Results indicate that women in tribal gaming only make up 37.8% of all management positions and while they represent about half of managers, the percentage decreases as the position increases. When compared to non-tribal casinos, tribal casinos have a significantly higher percentage of women representation overall, 37.8% vs. 33.6%, but when evaluating each level there is only a significant difference at the top position with tribal casinos having 23.5% of women representation compared to 17.1% in non-tribal casinos. While these results indicate that tribal casinos have a higher percentage of women in top positions compared to non-tribal casinos there is still room for additional gender diversity across the top levels

“What, Was I Supposed to Give Up My Career?”: The Working Worlds of Women in Gaming Management

This study sets out to explore the work and lives of women in casino gaming management. I focus on making women’s voices and experiences heard in an industry that is still heavily male dominant. This research uses in-depth, semi-structured interviews to discover work experiences of women across departments and industry divides, exploring four dimensions of their daily work lives and career decisions: barriers to advancement, work-life balance, mothering, and sexual harassment. I interview women from various sectors of the gaming industry, from resort operations, to manufacturing, to consulting firms, to compare and contrast different work cultures as variables to paint the totality of the industry. This study introduces both an academic and policy discussion around what is—and what isn’t—working for gaming women at work. By listening to women’s stories and understanding their experiences, as well as offering new perspectives and counter narratives, we can begin to invite change to create safer, healthier, happier, more inclusive workplaces for all. These women’s stories and experiences serves as a reminder that although women have come far in the workplace, there is still further to go