Time to Shuffle the Deck

Recommendations to Improve Gender Representation at Gambling Studies Conferences

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs222

Keywords:

gender, gender disparity, gambling, gambling studies, conferences, symposia, women

Abstract

The underrepresentation of women speakers at academic conferences in the gambling studies field is historic and pervasive yet the pressing issue of gender disparity in the field has yet to be adequately acknowledged or addressed. In 2023, an International Forum, hosted by Research And Networking for Gambling Early-career Scholars (RANGES) brought together ten early career researchers in the gambling studies field, all women, from varied research environments and disciplinary backgrounds. The International Forum aimed to answer the question: How can gambling studies conferences improve gender representation and become more inclusive and equitable? The result is this commentary which constitutes a set of recommendations related to gambling studies conferences designed to be implemented broadly as a form of collective action that will (1) contribute to the development of a shared understanding and awareness of the pressing issue of gender disparity; (2) provide actionable pathways for change; and (3) trigger a systemic and comprehensive change in the face of ongoing gender disparity with the goal of creating a more equitable, diverse and inclusive research field.

Author Biographies

Eva Monson, Université de Sherbrooke

Eva Monson, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Université de Sherbrooke. She has a background in psychiatric epidemiology, population health, and sociology. Her current research focuses on socio-economic inequality and gambling – specifically how the multilevel nature of gambling risk calls for preventative measures that better integrate an understanding of social inequality and surrounding contexts. She is also the founder of the international Research and Networking for Gambling Early-Career Scholars (RANGES) network that aims to address current evolving issues within the gambling field and the specific needs of early career researchers.

Nicole Arsenault

Nicole Arsenault obtained an M.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Concordia University in 2020 and has continued to work as a research professional in the field of gambling studies with an interest in gender.

Annie-Claude Savard, Université Laval

Annie-Claude Savard, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Social Work and Criminology at Université Laval and researcher at the Institut universitaire sur les dépendances, the HERMÈS team and the Centre international de criminologie comparée. Her current research focuses on transformations in the gambling landscape, gambling among young adults, the social construction of collective and individual responsibility in the gambling field, the social representations in the public space surrounding gambling and the individuals who gamble and the discourses and impacts of gambling advertising and prevention messages. She is a member of the RANGES executive.

Adèle Morvannou, Université de Sherbrooke

Adèle Morvannou, PhD, is a professor at the Université de Sherbrooke. As a clinical psychologist, she is an early career researcher with extensive experience related to gambling trajectories and experiences of women who gamble. Since 2018, she has secured $44,000 in research grants as a principal investigator ($3M as a co-investigator) in research and infrastructure funding. She has authored or co-authored 16 scientific papers, over 67 scientific conferences at local, provincial and international level, including 36 as a first author, and has made 5 presentations as an invited speaker. She is a member of the RANGES executive.

Carling Baxter, Greo Evidence Insights

Carling M. Baxter, PhD, is a Senior Research Analyst at Greo Evidence Insights (Greo). In this role she supports the development of calls for, and management of, research funds. She also contributes to and leads research-related projects. An expert in plain language writing, she has written over one hundred plain language summaries of gambling research articles. Before joining Greo, Carling was a sessional instructor and teaching assistant at McMaster University, where she completed a PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour.

Tara Hahmann, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions

Tara Hahmann, PhD, is a Visiting Research Affiliate at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions in Toronto, Canada. She has research interests in the drivers and consequences of and solutions for problem gambling, especially among those experiencing poverty and other complex social and health needs.

Catherine Hitch, Swansea University

Catherine Hitch, PhD, is an early career researcher with experience of working with hard-to-reach armed forces communities, in the context of poor mental health and co-occurring addiction. Her work has included exploring support service barriers and enablers impacting the armed forces community, their ‘affected others’, and professional services staff such as miliary welfare and medical professionals. Dr. Hitch has supported a range of interventions, such as peer-based and digital.  She has made several contributions to the field of armed forces mental health, including publications, conference attendance, and as a guest speaker.

Viktorija Kesaite, University of Cambridge

Viktorija Kesaite, PhD, is a Research Associate at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. Her current work focuses on using econometric methods to evaluate the effectiveness of food interventions in the UK. Prior to joining the Unit, Viktorija worked as a Research Associate at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow. Her role included researching theoretical frameworks for assessing the relationship between total consumption and problem or excessive consumption in gambling as well as carrying out data analyses to assess key trends in gambling behaviour.

Katie Palmer du Preez, Te Pou

Katie Palmer du Preez leads evaluation activities for New Zealand NGOs working in mental health and addiction. She has a research background in gambling and addiction, women's health and wellbeing and LGBTIQ+ public health with the National Institute for Public and Mental Health Research at AUT University. She has over 15 years of experience supporting service improvement and advancing public health and socio-cultural understandings of health and wellbeing contexts and practices to inform harm reduction policy.

Andrée-Anne Légaré, Université de Sherbrooke

Andrée-Anne Légaré, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, early career researcher, and professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Université de Sherbrooke. Her research focuses on impacts of gambling and new technologies on mental health. As part of her clinical practice, she specializes in working with people with addiction problems and provides clinical supervision to addiction counsellors in the community who work with clients with gambling problems or addiction to new technologies. She is a member of the RANGES executive.

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Published

2025-03-23

How to Cite

Monson, E., Arsenault, N., Savard, A.-C., Morvannou, A., Baxter, C., Hahmann, T., … Légaré, A.-A. (2025). Time to Shuffle the Deck: Recommendations to Improve Gender Representation at Gambling Studies Conferences. Critical Gambling Studies, 5(2), 94–106. https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs222

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024): Open Issue

Section

Commentary

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Copyright (c) 2025 Eva Monson, Nicole Arsenault, Annie-Claude Savard, Adèle Morvannou, Carling Baxter, Tara Hahmann, Catherine Hitch, Viktorija Kesaite, Katie Palmer du Preez, Andrée-Anne Légaré

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