Las Vegas-based Women of Diversity Productions recently released a report, the Gaming Gender Equality Index, regarding the status of women in the gaming industry workplace. Board Member Denise Duarte said the nonprofit group spent eight months surveying and researching 21 gaming corporations with U.S. headquarters, most doing business in Las Vegas. She said the report concluded the industry has to do more to reach gender equality.
The study found not one of the 21 corporations had a female chief executive officer, chairwoman or president. Women hold one-third or more executive board seats at only three corporations.
Valerie Murzl, who became Station Casinos’ first female corporate executive 20 years ago, noted at a forum on the study’s results, that corporations would benefit with more women in leadership roles. “When you don’t have diversity, you end up having everyone thinking the same way and reacting the same way,” she said.
Murzl noted at first the mostly male company leaders welcomed her. But when she became pregnant later that year, she found, “There was not one child care option that stayed open past 6 p.m. I thought ‘This is crazy. How can you be an executive in our industry and work the hours involved if you’re a woman with a child?’” Murzl said since then many casinos have opened in-house child care facilities for employees and have created private spaces for breast-feeding.
One disappointment regarding the study, Duarte said, was that none of the companies would provide information on employee compensation. “I think ultimately one of the most challenging aspects of this was the lack of transparency all around. If it’s not mandatory, certain corporations will not comply,” she said.
In response, Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Tony Alamo said Women of Diversity Productions had not approached his board about conducting the survey or its results. He said he needed to learn more about the study before he could urge corporations to participate. “It doesn’t mean that I am not receptive to listening. We are there, and we are waiting,” he said.
Duarte said the group plans to conduct the study again next year with the goal of encouraging corporations to do more to promote gender equality. “My number-one desire is for corporations to start looking at this as a priority. And to know that we will be tracking them,” she said.
