The Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies (CJT) of Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) held a sharing session on “Female Practitioners in the Gaming Industry of Macao: Present and Future of the Profession” at the Taipa campus of MPI on September 28. The sharing session was presented by Associate Professor Zhou Jin Quan, Lecturer Liu Shuang and Lecturer Tang Chi Chong, who conducted in-depth research and discussion on the career development of female practitioners in the gaming industry of Macao from different perspectives.
Tang Chi Chong investigated the gender characteristics from the perspectives of gaming and non-gaming industry. The study shows that academic qualifications have a greater impact on practitioners, with a higher proportion of female practitioners who have high school qualifications or below, while the proportion of female practitioners in university or above is not much different from that of male practitioners. However, due to the development of non-gaming elements in the industry in recent years, the gender difference between men and women is not obvious among the younger generation.
Zhou Jin Quan analyzed the relationship among organizational support, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, and willingness to leave, with a focus on women dealers. The research found that: (1) Positive organizational support is very important and can effectively reduce work-family conflict; (2) Organizational support is positively correlated with job satisfaction and negatively related to willingness to leave; (3) Positive organizational support can increase job satisfaction and reduce willingness to leave by reducing individual role conflict and the resulting pressure.
Through in-depth interviews, Liu Shuang investigated the effects of different types of social support on the work pressure of female employees with children who work on shifts in Macao casinos. The research found that emotional support and instrumental support are the most effective ways of reducing the working pressure of female employees working on shifts with children. This type of support mostly comes from family and friends. The findings will help gaming enterprises provide effective support for female employees from the perspectives of management and training to improve performance.
The sharing session was attended by more than 70 participants, including representatives from the Labour Affairs Bureau, Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, Macao Federation of Trade Unions, the Women’s General Association of Macau, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A., Sands China Ltd., MGM, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd., Galaxy Entertainment Group, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A., as well as the academic staff and researchers of the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies of MPI.
