Welcome to my Research!

My name is Alex, and I’m a PhD Candidate at the University of Edinburgh (although currently based in the north of England) exploring the area of bingo, women and community. Using the narrative approach, I’m looking at the ‘lived and living experience’ of women who play bingo – which is a fancy way of saying I wanted to hear about playing bingo directly from the women that have actually lived the experience of playing bingo in some form. My aim is to place the voice of women in the heart of my research, speaking to women about why they have played bingo in the past, or are playing bingo presently. I am exploring both in-person bingo, played in bingo halls, and also the online world of bingo and bingo websites and apps, too, with the aim to discuss a range of bingo experiences from women that have participated.

If this is something that interests you in some form – whether you are a woman who would like to talk to me about your experience of playing bingo, or whether you are just curious in my research, then I’ve put some FAQs below. If you would then like to get involved, then please don’t hesitate to email me on alex.womenbingo@gmail.com

Why Women playing Bingo?

My initial interest in women playing bingo actually stemmed from a broader interest in women who gambled; for my Masters dissertation, I explored women who gambled from a Psychodynamic perspective, as I was training to be a therapist at the time. I was so intrigued by themes that emerged, such as women gambling for a feeling of community and support, and I wished to explore this further, but through a more focused lens. There has been a plethora of research on forms of gambling focused on men, but there remains a lack of research focusing solely on the experience of women who gamble, especially in the UK. After more research, I found that bingo remains one of the most popular forms of gambling for women to participate in, with varying reasons for why; community and socialising being just two explanations that kept emerging. I am therefore aiming to explore this, but in a way that actually incorporates the women that play bingo, as opposed to simply collecting together reports on the area.

What would I need to do?

I would love to interview any women above 18 who has had experience of playing bingo, either in-person or online. The interviews could be online or over the telephone – or, if you are based in the Leeds area, in person. They would be no more than an hour in duration, and it would be an open chat about your experience of bingo. Although I cannot offer payment for your time, your contribution would be invaluable to both my project and also the wider areas of womens research – placing women at the heart of research about women – and also the area of health and social science. Plus, for anyone based near me, I would love to treat you to a coffee or snack while we chat!

The interview would be completely anonymised. I’ve been given full ethical approval by the University of Edinburgh, and you would be given a consent from before outlining key factors such as how you would be anonymous, and your right to withdraw.

Who Can Get in Touch?

If you are a woman who has had some experience of playing bingo in any form, either in-person or online, and are above 18, then I would love to hear from you for an informal chat. We can do this online, or over the telephone, and I can go through my study in more detail. I also have an information sheet and consent form to send to you, if you decide to proceed, but once again we can chat about this all further together.

If this is something you would like to do, please email me on alexswhite10@gmail.com

Thank you so much!

Welcome! / Bingo, Women and Community: Exploring the Lived and Living Experience of Women who play Bingo by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0