Teresa Rees

Teresa Rees
Born
Teresa Lesley Baggs

(1949-06-11)11 June 1949
Died22 September 2023(2023-09-22) (aged 74)
TitleProfessor Emerita
Spouse
Prof Gareth Rees
(m. 1974; div. 2004)
Children2
Academic background
EducationClifton High School, Bristol
Alma materUniversity of Exeter (BA)
University of Wales (PhD)
ThesisThe reproduction of gender segregation in the labour market (1993)
Academic work
DisciplineSociology
Sub-disciplineGender studies
InstitutionsCardiff University
University of Bristol
Main interestsGender inequalities in education and the labour market; Gender mainstreaming

Dame Teresa Lesley Rees, DBE, FAcSS, FLSW (11 June 1949 – 22 September 2023) was a British social scientist, and a professor at Cardiff University. She specialised in the analysis of gender equality within education, training and labour market policies.[1]

Early life and education

Teresa Lesley Rees was born in Wells, Somerset on 11 June 1949. She was the oldest of three children born to Violet Elsie "Vera" (nee Geddes-Ruffle) and Gordon Baggs.[2] She was educated at Clifton High School, Bristol[3] before reading Sociology and Politics at University of Exeter, graduating in 1970.[4]

Career

Rees joined Cardiff University as a research fellow in 1973 and held several academic positions there until 1993. During this time, she was credited for her instrumental role in creating the part-time Master of Science programme in Women's studies launched in 1987, the first course of this kind in Wales. She was appointed Director of the Social Research Unit in 1988.[2][5] Rees also took on doctoral studies at Cardiff, earning her PhD in 1993[6] with a thesis titled, The reproduction of gender segregation in the labour market.[7]

Between 1993 and 2000, Rees worked at the School of Advanced Urban Studies, University of Bristol as Reader and then as Professor.[8] She returned to Cardiff University in 2000, where she was appointed Pro-vice-chancellor (PVC) for Staff and Students (2004-2007) and for Research (2007-2010).[9]

Rees was professor emerita in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University. She was principal investigator for the Women Adding Value to the Economy (WAVE) project, a visiting professor at Sweden's GEXcel International Collegium for Advanced Transdisciplinary Gender Studies, and director of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.[10][4]

Honours and recognitions

A former Equal Opportunities commissioner, Rees received the Welsh Woman of the Year Award for "outstanding contributions to women in Wales", and in 2002 was made a CBE for her work on equal opportunities and higher education.[4] In 2012, she was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.[11] In January 2015, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) "for services to social sciences".[12]

Rees was a recipient of honorary doctorates and fellowships from multiple universities, including:

Personal life and death

Dame Teresa Rees died of cancer on 22 September 2023, at the age of 74. She was survived by her two sons.[9][2]

References

  1. ^ "WIR Expert Group Curriculum Vitae". Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Joll, Caroline (25 October 2023). "Dame Teresa Rees obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Teresa Rees". Clifton High Foundation. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "Honorary graduates 2014-15 - Professor Teresa Rees CBE (LLD)". University of Exeter. 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Professor Dame Teresa (Terry) Rees FLSW FAcSS". Cardiff University. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Prestigious line-up receive Honorary Fellowships". Cardiff University. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  7. ^ Rees, T. L. The reproduction of gender segregation in the labour market. 1993. University of Wales, Cardiff - via ResearchGate.
  8. ^ a b "Professor Dame Emerita Teresa Rees DBE, FacSS, FLSW". University of Bristol. 18 February 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Professor Dame Teresa Rees". Cardiff University. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. ^ Rees, Teresa (28 August 2015). "Receiving my Damehood - Professor Emerita Dame Teresa Rees DBE FAcSS FLSW". Cardiff University. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  11. ^ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Teresa Rees". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Professor Teresa Rees awarded a Damehood for services to Social Sciences". Cardiff University. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  13. ^ https://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Filestore/honorary-degree-recipients.pdf
  14. ^ "Honorary graduates, 2010 to 2019". www.bath.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  15. ^ "University to present honorary degrees to distinguished individuals at Summer ceremonies". University of Aberdeen. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Honorary Graduates | Students | The University of Aberdeen". www.abdn.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Honorary Fellows 2017". University of South Wales. 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2026.