Mapping the Conceptualization of Gender in Gambling Literature

A Scoping Review

Authors

  • Sylvia Kairouz Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8788-4456
  • Abu Saleh Mohammad Sowad Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2588-399X
  • Lesley Lambo Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0201-9381
  • Julie Le Mesurier Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
  • Jessica Nadeau Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs115

Keywords:

gambling, gender, scoping review, sex

Abstract

This scoping review aims to map the existing conceptualization of gender in peer-reviewed gambling scholarship to locate areas of future inquiry for a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between gender and gambling. It follows Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) framework for scoping reviews, updated by Levac et al. (2010) and Daudt et al. (2013). We located the relevant literature published between 2000-2020 by searching through eight academic databases using Boolean operators and various key search terms, yielding 31,533 results. After a thorough screening based on inclusion/exclusion criteria and excluding duplicates, we located 2,532 journal publications that addressed gender and gambling. Among them, 53.4% used gender as a descriptive demographic variable, 44.3% explored the comparative analysis between men’s and women's gambling behaviors, preferences, and risks, and only 2.3% focused on gender from a socio-cultural perspective. When articles mentioned gender, we found that it was primarily considered a descriptive demographic variable and an indicator of comparative analysis between men and women. Furthermore, the few articles that discussed the socio-cultural aspects of gender were mainly limited to a binary construction of gender. This scoping review concluded that there is a scarcity of socio-cultural studies of gender in gambling scholarship, indicating the need to expand socio-cultural analysis in research on gender and gambling.

Author Biographies

Sylvia Kairouz, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Dr. Sylvia Kairouz is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University, Montreal, Québec, Canada. She is currently engaged in funded research examining comprehensive multilevel models of determinants of gambling practices. She has published extensively in sociology, social epidemiology and public health journals and won the Brain Star Award of the Canadian Institute of Health Research for her innovative work on the role of social contexts in addictive consumptions. She is the holder of the Research Chair on Gambling and the director of the HERMES partnership team.

Abu Saleh Mohammad Sowad, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Abu Saleh Mohammad Sowad is an FRQSC doctoral fellow on Social and Cultural Analysis at Concordia University. Previously, he obtained an MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where his thesis focused on the after effect of migration on the deconstruction of masculinities among Bangladeshi immigrant men in the United Kingdom. He has been working as a faculty member in the Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Dhaka since 2014 and is currently on study leave. He also has extensive experience working as a consultant with various INGOs working in Bangladesh.

Lesley Lambo, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Dr. Lesley Lambo is a Research Associate with the Research Chair on Gambling at Concordia University. She obtained her Doctorate from Concordia University where her dissertation focused gender and intimate partner violence, specifically female perpetrators of intimate partner violence. In addition to working with the Research Chair, she is also a part-time faculty member in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University. Previous research has included the cultural construction of masculinity and intimate partner violence in Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria where she worked with NGOs with a focus on violence against women.

Julie Le Mesurier, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Julie Le Mesurier is a Master’s student in Sociology at Concordia University, she is nearing completion of her research which focuses on student anxiety within the CEGEP population.

Jessica Nadeau, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Jessica Nadeau is currently near completion of a Master's in Sociology at Concordia University. Her thesis explores the experiences of self-identified female gamblers in Gamblers Anonymous.

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Published

2023-03-31

How to Cite

Kairouz, S., Sowad, A. S. M. ., Lambo, L., Le Mesurier, J. ., & Nadeau, J. (2023). Mapping the Conceptualization of Gender in Gambling Literature: A Scoping Review. Critical Gambling Studies, 4(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs115

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Original Research Articles