Power, intersectionality and stigma: Informing a gender- and spatially-sensitive public health approach to women and gambling in Great Britain

In Britain more men participate in gambling than women, although the gender gap is narrowing; and online gambling is increasing among women and men. Gambling practices differ between men and women but also between different groups of women, with evidence that younger women are diversifying to gamble in different ways from older women. Complex and powerful spatial, socio-cultural and economic forces shape women's experiences of gambling, the problems gambling may cause, and wider societal efforts to minimise these harms. This paper presents the findings of a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of research on women and gambling and conceptual reflections on these findings to argue for greater attention to the gendered and spatial dimensions of gambling in three ways. First, we discuss the geographical focus and scope of the research we reviewed on women and gambling; second, we analyse the changing geographies of where women gamble; and finally, we consider how qualitative notions of space as experiential and co-constitutive can offer a more nuanced conceptual framework for understanding women's lived experience of gambling and gambling harm. We identify areas for further research on gambling and gambling harm that attends to gendered and spatial dimensions of gambling, including online spaces; the intersectional dynamics that shape gambling practice and gambling harms; and the experiences of those affected by others' gambling. •A public health approach that addresses women's experiences of gambling is needed.•Review of research on women and gambling reveals important gaps in knowledge.•Gambling research has tended to study women as a homogenous group.•Much less research has focused on those who are affected by another's gambling.•Power dynamics in women's lives shape their experiences of gambling.•Intersectional approaches are needed to address differences between women.•Stigma and lack of awareness of women's gambling are important elements to consider when developing public health interventions around gambling.