Professor of Employment Relations
Professor Tessa Wright's research investigates the levers for and barriers to achieving equality and diversity in male-dominated sectors, particularly in construction and transport. She has also undertaken research on equality in the fire service. She is a member of the Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity (CRED).
Tessa’s book, "Gender and Sexuality in Male Dominated Occupations," highlighted the topic of gender dynamics within the transport and construction sectors and caught the attention of gender equality officers at the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) who later approached her. They proposed a collaborative project aimed at promoting gender equality and reducing occupational gender segregation in the transport sector. She became further engaged with policymakers and policymaking organisations when her name appeared in online searches by UN researchers focusing on gender and transport work – a relatively unexplored area.
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)Through Tessa’s work with the ITF, she spearheaded a global project focused on examining the future of work for women transport workers across five cities: Bangkok, Nairobi, Cape Town, Bogota, and Mexico City. Collaborating with partners who had existing contacts with union representatives and others in these cities, they investigated specific developments, such as the introduction of new transport systems (i.e. the rapid bus transit system in Bogota), and its implications for women's employment. Acting as the coordinator, she oversaw the research conducted by various individuals in each city, which included a meeting held in Bogota to discuss the findings with union activists from different countries. She synthesised the research into a final report ‘The impact of the future of work for women in public transport’ published on the ITF’s website. The findings and recommendations were presented at the following ITF World Congress in Singapore, mainly focusing on what actions unions should take to support women workers in the sector. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)Recognising the lack of gender awareness amongst many transport professionals, she was approached by the gender equality lead at UNESCAP and was tasked with promoting gender equality within projects run by the transport division. She developed internal guidelines and conducted an online training session aimed at helping these professionals across a wide geographical area understand and integrate gender considerations into their projects.
Additionally, Tessa's research on gender and transport work led to the collaborative production of an edited book "Women, Work, Transport" (with Lucy Budd and Stephen Ison), further emphasising the impact of her policy partnership work. Buying Social Justice Through ProcurementSupported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Buying Social Justice Through Procurement project explored the use of public procurement to promote equality in employment. Tessa drew on her expertise on the underrepresentation of women in the construction sector.
She cultivated a network of partners by actively engaging with practitioners and professionals at relevant events and maintaining connections with those interested in procurement and equality and diversity.
It positioned social procurement as a strategy for enhancing workforce diversity, for instance, through setting diversity targets for jobs or apprenticeships in publicly-funded projects. The research culminated in the creation of a toolkit by the Buying Social Justice project, aimed at integrating equality, diversity, and inclusion into public procurement practices.
Tessa received financial support to conduct policy engagement work from Queen Mary. However, for other projects, the funding bodies preferred to compensate her directly as a consultant.
The project with the ITF proved to be highly enjoyable and insightful as she collaborated with individuals from various countries. Notably, one of the products of those new relationships was a co-authored chapter with a participant from Nairobi, focusing on sexual harassment. Significantly, participants' unwavering commitment to the project's objectives and the shared goal of promoting gender equality in the transport sector underscored the project's success and the practical impact of her research.
Tessa encountered several challenges in her policy engagement work. One hurdle was the transient nature of contacts within policy organisations, making it difficult to maintain continuity and evaluate long-term impacts due to personnel turnover. Additionally, she noted the shifting nature of policy priorities, which could affect the relevance and focus of her work over time. Collaborating with the ITF presented its own set of challenges at times as trade unions juggle numerous demands on their time and resources
Tessa suggests that building connections for policy engagement often involves networking outside traditional academic circles. Over the years, she found success by attending non-academic events and engaging with people from diverse backgrounds and sectors. This approach allowed her to establish partnerships with a range of professionals outside academia, which is essential for effective policy engagement. Her background of working in research for the trade union movement before re-entering academia contributed to her ability to navigate different circles and connect with stakeholders beyond the traditional academic route.
This case study was supported by Audrey Tan (Policy Partnerships Manager, Mile End Institute) and Maja Wawrzynowicz (Policy Associate, Mile End Institute). If you’re interested in learning more about how you can build policy engagement into your own work, check out the Queen Mary Policy Hub’s Learning Resources and Policy Engagement How-To Guides.