Women In Susan Chandle's Casino Women

The idea of women working has two different meanings depending on the time period it is being examined in. With men leaving their jobs during World War I, women began leaving their household jobs and occupied men’s positions. But the return of the men at the end of the war meant women had to go back to their household duties and return the men’s jobs. Following World War II, women were less wanting to return to domestic jobs and many continued working in jobs that were considered to be man’s work. It was not until the 1960’s and 70’s that women accounted for half of the labor force. The lack of equality in society between genders resulted in unfair treatment of women in the workplace (Women’s Rights 1994). This is one of several topics discussed in Casino Women by Susan …show more content…
Even though women make up for half of the labor force, they are still treated negatively by their male coworkers. Women are terrified of losing their jobs if they report harassment to management, they are used as physical objects to attract male customers and keep them happy, they are limited in the achievements due to the need to prove themselves and their success, and they are caught in a double-standard between being a boss and being bossy.
The treatment of women is discussed in Casino Women in several chapters, but specifically 3 and 6. In chapter 3, the reader is introduced to Heidi Abrahamson, a cocktail waitress at a Reno casino. Initially, Abrahamson took the job so she could catch up on her bills. She despised the idea of casinos and casino employees and was sure she would leave as soon as possible. But by the time of the interview, she had already been working there for eighteen months and had made little effort to find alternative work. A point I found particularly interesting was her inability to file a complaint to upper management due to the fear of losing her job or at the least it being made more difficult. Abrahamson found handling advances from