Lecture with Dr. Susan Chandler

We know much about the men who built and operated the casinos of Las Vegas. In this talk, Dr. Susan Chandler, Professor of Social Work at the University of Nevada, Reno explores the untold stories of women who work in the gaming industry. Chandler's presentation offers a new slant on the dependence of Las Vegas’ (and Nevada’s) economy on women workers.   

Based on ten years of interviews with women -- maids, cocktail waitresses, cooks, laundry workers, dealers, pit bosses, and vice presidents-- Chandler will discuss in detail the attractions to, experiences with, and critiques of the state's primary economic machine from her subjects' perspectives. Some of the areas for discussion include 1) the entry into casino employment, 2) the persistence of gender-typed jobs despite equal employment laws, 3) women's coping strategies in a sexualized work place, 4) the pivotal role of the culinary union for many workers, and 5) how thousands of remarkable women assert their humanity in the face of gaming empires’ relentless quest for profits.

The event is free and open to the public
Co-sponsors: University Forum Lecture Series, Women's Research Institute of Nevada, Departments of History and Sociology, School of Social Work, the Women's Studies Program, and Bo Bernhard.


Please join us at the lecture by Dr. Susan Chandler on Feb. 21, 7:30 pm at the Marjorie Barrick Auditorium at UNLV.