Through her outstanding contribution to the study of equal opportunities and diversity, Barbara Bagilhole, who has died aged 64 from cancer, helped to challenge the culture of sexism in the construction industry. She demonstrated the extent of discrimination in construction, and later more generally in civil engineering – through male networking, the culture of long working hours and the use of sexist language – and made the case for change.
Her approach was to focus attention on women’s experiences at work, rather than on merely attempting to address their underrepresentation. By leading a series of interview-based research projects she developed an ambitious programme for organisational change that influenced construction bodies and European commission policy recommendations.
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