Teresa Rees

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.

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. She was educated at Clifton High School, Bristol before reading Sociology and Politics at University of Exeter, graduating in 1970. Rees also took on doctoral studies at Cardiff, earning her PhD in 1993 with a thesis titled, The reproduction of gender segregation in the labour market.

Between 1993 and 2000, Rees worked at the School of Advanced Urban Studies, University of Bristol as Reader and then as Professor. 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).

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. In January 2015, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) "for services to social sciences".

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

Queen's University Belfast (DSc, 2012) University of Bath (LLD, 2012) University of Exeter (LLD, 2015) Cardiff University (Fellowship, 2016)

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.