![Debbie Foster](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/100?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
Debbie Foster is Professor of Employment Relations and Diversity at Cardiff Business School. In January 2023 she was named as one of 100 Changemakers by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales for her work as Co-Chair (with Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice) of the Welsh Government's Disability Rights Taskforce. Established by the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, the Taskforce was in response to recommendations in 'Locked out: liberating disabled people's lives and rights in Wales beyond COVID-19' a report that Debbie authored and helped to coproduce with disabled people in Wales: (https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2021/7/2/1626187155/locked-out-liberating-disabled-peoples-lives-and-rights-wales-beyond-covid-19.pdf,)
With a disciplinary background in Sociology (B.A, Lancaster, PhD Bath), Debbie's research interests lie within the sociology of work & employment. Past research includes an examination of the impact of marketisation on public service trade unions and industrial relations; gender and management in China and Taiwan; the negotiation of disability adjustments in the UK workplace by disabled people and trade union representatives (ESRC funded) and, the role of social partners in promoting work accommodations for disabled & older people in Estonia, Hungary & Poland (EU funded).
Recent research has concentrated on the lived experiences of disabled people in the labour market, on revealing how the negotiation of workplace adjustments is a significant employment relations process, identifying the ways in which job design and organisations are constructed around unchallenged 'ideal' ableist norms and practices, and on the careers of disabled people as a marginalised group in professional occupations.
Utilising a social model of disability and co-production as a methodology, Debbie works with disabled people and Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs). Since 2018 (with Dr Natasha Hirst) and The Lawyers with Disabilities Division of the Law Society (LDD) she has coproduced research findings, recommendations and impact with the Law Society of England and Wales, through a project called "Legally Disabled? The Career Experiences of Disabled People Working in the Legal Profession". Originally funded by a consortium of Disabled People's Organisations - DRILL (Disability Research for Independent Living and Learning), Legally Disabled? subsequently attracted ESRC funding to develop a significant range of engagment & impact activities. A follow-up research project was also conducted with The Law Society to evaluate the effects of COVID 19 on working practices of disabled people in law. See the project web site for further information: www.legallydisabled.com.
Within the University: Debbie has served as a member of Senate and was Chair of the Cardiff Business School Research Ethics Committee and representative to the CARBS Research Committee for 6 years. In addition, she represented the college of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences on the University's Open Research Integrity and Ethics Committee and was a member of the University's multi-disciplinary COVID Opening up human participant research task & finish group.
Editorial Activities: A past editor of the 'Debates & Controversies' section of the British Sociological Association Journal, Work, Employment & Society and member of the Editorial and Associate Editorial boards, Debbie is currently a member of the editorial board of a new journal based at Leeds University, the International Journal of Disability and Social Justice.
Externally: Debbie works with Welsh Government, The Law Society of England & Wales and the Legal Services Board on diversity and inclusion issues. Recent work with Welsh Government has extended to providing training and advice to the Cabinet Office, Office for National Statistics, the EHRC and government agencies..
PhD supervision: Ruth Nortey is currently on an ESRC collaborative studentship in partnership with Disability Wales examining causes and potential solutions to addressing the disability employment gap in Wales.
Prospective areas of PhD supervision include: I am particularly interested in supervising candidates interested in advancing knowledge and accessibility for disabled people in the labour market. I will consider topics that address diversity and inclusion in organisations more widely, particularly in relation to gender, disability and age and in professional work.
Recent news items:
- A survey by the Law Society and Cardiff University’s ‘Legally Disabled’ team found that working from home during lockdown enabled the majority of respondents to manage their disability more effectively, with 70% preferring to continue working remotely in the long-term. (New Law Journal; The Law Society Gazette; Practice Source; WIPR; Law 360; My Science; Mirage News)
- A recent survey showed that the suspension of office working under lockdown has helped improve the mental and physical health of disabled lawyers, and in a Law Society webinar Professor Debbie Foster of Cardiff University Business School noted that homeworking was the most common reasonable adjustment requested of employers by disabled lawyers and the most frequently refused. (Legal Futures)
- Disabled solicitors need the freedom to continue to work from home, a comment piece by a Cardiff University academic argues. Debbie Foster writing with David Greene, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said the pandemic has led to improvements in the legal profession but “open conversations” about disability are needed to ensure a more inclusive approach (The Times).
Publication
2024
- Foster, D. 2024. Co-production with disabled people during the pandemic: the creation of a new political discourse that acknowledges the role of human rights in policymaking in Wales. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 26(1), pp. 410-422. (10.16993/sjdr.1054)
- Shi, C. and Foster, D. 2024. The past, present and future: hukou as a social status and its impact on Chinese disabled migrant workers; social mobility in the labor market. Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal 18(4), pp. 1-28.
2023
- Foster, D. 2023. The influence of the social model of disability and co-production in the Welsh policy-making context. The potential for a new political discourse that recognises the important role of human rights. Presented at: Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2023, Ulster University, 04-06 April 2023.
2022
- Foster, D. 2022. Disability and why the personal is political in socio-legal research. [Online]. Journal of Law & Society Conversations blog: Journal of Law & Society. Available at: https://journaloflawandsociety.co.uk/blog/disability-and-why-the-personal-is-political-in-socio-legal-research/
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2022. Doing diversity in the legal profession in England and Wales: why do disabled people continue to be unexpected?. Journal of Law and Society 49(3), pp. 447-469.
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2022. Doing diversity in the legal profession in England and Wales: why do disabled people continue to be unexpected?. Journal of Law and Society 49(3), pp. 447-469. (10.1111/jols.12382)
- Foster, D. 2022. The power of using the method of co-production with disabled people: translating ‘private troubles’ into social and political actions to build equality and justice.. Presented at: BSA 2022 Virtual Annual Conference, Virtual, 20 - 22 April 2022.
2021
- Foster, D. et al. 2021. Locked out: liberating disabled people's lives and rights in Wales beyond COVID-19. Cardiff: Welsh Government. Available at: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2021/7/2/1626187155/locked-out-liberating-disabled-peoples-lives-and-rights-wales-beyond-covid-19.pdf
- Foster, D., Masso, M. and Osila, L. 2021. Work accommodations and sustainable working. The role of social partners and industrial relations in the employment of disabled and older people in Estonia, Hungary and Poland. European Journal of Industrial Relations 27(2), pp. 149-165. (10.1177/0959680120971896)
2020
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2020. Understanding (disabled people as) ghosts in professional work: the contribution of feminist research. In: Fielden, S., Moore, M. and Bend, G. eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Disability in Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2020. Legally Disabled? The career experiences of disabled people working in the legal profession. Full report. Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.legallydisabled.com
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2020. Legally disabled? The career experiences of disabled people working in the legal profession: conference report. Presented at: Legally Disabled? The Career Experiences of Disabled Poeple Working in the Legal Profession in England and Wales, British Academy, London, 24th January 2020. Cardiff University
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2020. Legally disabled? The impact of Covid-19 on the employment and training of disabled lawyers in England and Wales: opportunities for job-redesign and best practice. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff University. Available at: http://legallydisabled.com/research-reports/
2019
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2019. Legally disabled? The career experiences of disabled people working in the legal profession. Executive summary and recommendations. Cardiff University.
- Masso, M. et al. 2019. The influence of collective employment relations on work accommodation: case studies in Estonia, Hungary and Poland. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 25(4), pp. 451-464. (10.1177/1024258919828597)
2018
- Foster, D. and Masso, M. 2018. Re-imagining work around the life-course: the role of work accommodation, job-design and industrial relations in promoting equality and fairness in the workplace. Presented at: Industrial Relations in Europe Conference (IREC), KU Leuven, Belgium, 10-13 Sep 2018.
- Foster, D. 2018. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for (disabled) workers or just a capital idea?. Work, Employment and Society 32(1), pp. 186-197. (10.1177/0950017016682458)
- Foster, D. 2018. Foreward. In: Werth, S. and Brownlow, C. eds. Work and Identity: Contemporary Perspectives on Diversity. Palgrave, pp. v-vii.
2017
- Masso, M., Osila, L. and Foster, D. 2017. Industrial relations and work adaptation in Estonia, Hungary, Poland: Supporting industrial relations in the field of work adaptation to enable the employment of older or disabled populations: Synthesis Report. Project Report. Tallinn: Praxis Centre for Policy Studies.
- Foster, D. 2017. Time to radically re-think workplace inclusion and well-being: developing a strategy to challenge ableism in contemporary neo-liberal workplaces. Presented at: 10th International Critical Management Studies (CMS) Conference 2017, Liverpool, UK, 3-5th July 2017. pp. 451-460.
2016
- Fevre, R. W., Foster, D. J., Jones, M. and Wass, V. J. 2016. Closing disability gaps at work: deficits in evidence and variations in experience. Project Report. Cardiff University.
- Masso, M., Nurmela, K. and Foster, D. J. 2016. Industrial relations and workplace adaptation: Supporting industrial relations in the field of workplace adaptation to enable the employment of older or disabled populations: Literature review. Project Report. Estonia: PRAXIS Centre for Policy Studies.
2015
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. J. 2015. Nobody's responsibility: the precarious position of disabled employees in the UK workplace. Industrial Relations Journal 46(4), pp. 328-343. (10.1111/irj.12107)
- Foster, D. and Ren, X. 2015. Work-family conflict and the commodification of women's employment in three Chinese airlines. International Journal of Human Resource Management 26(12), pp. 1568-1585. (10.1080/09585192.2014.949821)
- Foster, D. J. 2015. Working in partnership: devolution and the development of a distinctive equalities agenda in employment in Wales. In: Equality, a. D. F. a. E. R. N. ed. Beyond 2015: Shaping The Future of Equality and Human Rights and Social Justice: A collection of essays from the Equality and Diversity Forum and EDF Research Network. London: Equality and Diversity Forum, pp. 134-144.
- Foster, D. J. 2015. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for disabled workers or just a capital idea?. Presented at: The Canadian Disability Studies Association (CDSA-ACEI) Conference 'Capital Ideas', Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottowa, ON, Canada, 2-4 June 2015.
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2015. The contribution of gender theory to investigating disability and professional work. Presented at: Nordic Network on Disability Research NNDR 13th Research Conference, Bergen, Norway, 6-8 May 2015.
- Foster, D. 2015. Devolution and disabled workers: the experiences of union equality representatives in Wales. Industrial Relations Journal 46(2), pp. 153-168. (10.1111/irj.12096)
- Foster, D. J. 2015. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for disabled people or just a capital idea?. Presented at: The Canadian Disability Studies Association Conference 'Capital Ideas', Ottawa, Canada, June 2nd-4th, 2015.
2014
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2014. Gender, disability and professional work: The need to question established norms. Presented at: The Gender, Work and Organization 8th Biennial International Interdisciplinary Conference, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, 24th-26th June 2014.
2013
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2013. Disability in the labour market: an exploration of concepts of the ideal worker and organisational fit that disadvantage employees with impairments. Sociology 47(4), pp. 705-721. (10.1177/0038038512454245)
2011
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2011. The ideal worker and capitalist forms of production: Can employees with impairments ever achive organisational fit?. Presented at: The Centre for Global Labour Research: Capitalism and work, Cardiff, UK, 12th January 2011.
- Foster, D. J. 2011. Understanding workplace adjustments for disabled employees: the law and good practice. In: Wright, T. and Conley, H. eds. Gower Handbook of Discrimination at Work. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 173-184.
- Ren, X. and Foster, D. J. 2011. Women's experiences of work and family conflict in a Chinese airline. Asia Pacific Business Review 17(3), pp. 325-341. (10.1080/13602380903462159)
2010
- Foster, D. J. and Williams, L. 2010. The past, present and future of workplace equality agendas: problems of intersectionality in theory and practice. In: Blyton, P. R., Heery, E. J. and Turnbull, P. J. eds. Reassessing the employment relationship. Management, Work and Organisations Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 318-341.
- Foster, D. J. and Fosh, P. 2010. Negotiating ‘difference’: representing disabled employees in the British workplace. British Journal of Industrial Relations 48(3), pp. 560-582. (10.1111/j.1467-8543.2009.00748.x)
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2010. Disability in the labour market: An exploration of concepts of the ‘ideal worker’ and organisational ‘fit’ that disadvantage employees with impairments. Presented at: Ideational Research in Employment Relations : Annual Conference of the Employment Research Unit, Cardiff, UK, September 2010.
2009
- Foster, D. J., Wen-Chi, G. C. and Fosh, P. 2009. Female managers in Taiwan: ongoing change and the need for further research. In: Yukongdi, Y. and Benson, J. eds. Women in Asian Management. London: Taylor & Francis/Routledge, pp. 110-125.
2008
- Wen-Chi, G., Fosh, P., Chih-Chen, C. and Foster, D. J. 2008. The Changing Face of Women Managers in Taiwan. In: Rowley, C. and Yukongdi, V. eds. The Changing Face of Women Managers in Asia. Working in Asia Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 171-198.
- Ren, X. and Foster, D. J. 2008. Balancing work and life in the Chinese airline industry: Women's experiences in the east and some comparisons with the west. Presented at: International Federation of Scholarly Association of Management’ (IFSAM) 9th World Congress, Shanghai, China, 27-28th July 2008.
- Chen, C., Fosh, P. and Foster, D. J. 2008. Gender differences in perceptions of organizational cultures in the banking industry in Taiwan. Journal of Industrial Relations 50(1), pp. 139-156. (10.1177/0022185607085698)
2007
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2007. Deregulation of employment: the impact of the reorganisation of the UK State. Presented at: States and Work Relationships in 20th Century Europe, Madrid, Spain, 15-16 November 2007.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2007. Trade Unions and Regional Government Working in Partnership? Emergent Lessons from Wales. Economic and Industrial Democracy 28(3), pp. 349-373. (10.1177/0143831X07079352)
- Foster, D. J. 2007. Legal Obligation or Personal Lottery? Employee Experiences of Disability and the Negotiation of Adjustments in the Public Sector Workplace. Work Employment & Society 21(1), pp. 67-84. (10.1177/0950017007073616)
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2007. La "desregularizatión" del empleo: El impacto de la reorganización del Estado Británico. In: Castillo, S., Pigenet, M. and Soubiran-Paillet, F. eds. Estados y Relaciones de Trabajo en la Europa del Siglo XX. Madrid, Spain: Ediciones Cinca, pp. 299-319.
2006
- Foster, D. J. and Hoggett, P. 2006. Change in the benefits agency: empowering the exhausted worker?. In: Beynon, H. and Nichols, T. eds. Patterns of Work in the Post-Fordist Era: Fordism and Post-Fordism., Vol. 2. Elgar Mini Series Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 439-459.
- Foster, D. J. and Fosh, P. 2006. Representing disabled employees in the workplace: the need for a multi-dimensional approach. Presented at: Proceedings of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association Conference, Galway, Ireland, 28-30 June 2006.
2005
- Foster, D. J., Chou, W. G. and Fosh, P. 2005. Female managers in Taiwan: opportunities and barriers in changing times. Asia Pacific Business Review 11(2), pp. 251-266. (10.1080/1360238042000291153)
2004
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2004. Public service trade unions and devolved government in the UK: a new political contingency?. Presented at: IREC conference 2004, Utrecht, Netherlands, 26-28 August 2004.
2003
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2003. EMU and public service trade unionism: between states and markets. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 9(4), pp. 702-721. (10.1177/102425890300900412)
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2003. Meeting the challenge?. In: Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. eds. Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge. Travail & Société - Work & Society Vol. 32. Brussels: Peter Lang, pp. 11-32.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2003. Trade unions, public services and the Euro. In: Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. eds. Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge., Vol. 32. Travail & Société - Work & Society Vol. 32. Brussels: Peter Lang, pp. 167-197.
1999
- Foster, D. J. and Hoggett, P. 1999. Change in the Benefits Agency: empowering the exhausted worker?. Work, Employment and Society 13(1), pp. 19-39. (10.1177/09500179922117773)
1998
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 1998. Conceptualising union responses to contracting out municipal services, 1979-97. Industrial Relations Journal 29(2), pp. 137-150. (10.1111/1468-2338.00086)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 1998. Competitive tendering of public services and industrial relations policy: the Conservative agenda under Thatcher and Major, 1979-97. Historical Studies in Industrial Relations 6, pp. 101-132.
1996
- Foster, D. 1996. Competitive tendering in local government: Trade Unions and organizational change. In: Braddon, D. and Foster, D. eds. Privatisation: Social Science Themes and Perspectives.. Dartmouth, pp. 41-66.
- Foster, D. and Braddon, D. 1996. An inter-disciplinary approach to the analysis of privatization and marketization?. In: Braddon, D. and Foster, D. eds. Privatisation: Social Science Themes and Perspectives.. Dartmouth, pp. 287-310.
- Braddon, D. and Foster, D. 1996. Introduction. In: Braddon, D. and Foster, D. eds. Simulated and Virtual Realities,. Taylor and Francis, pp. 1-17.
1993
- Foster, D. J. 1993. Industrial relations in local government: the impact of privatisation. Political Quarterly 64(1), pp. 49-59. (10.1111/j.1467-923X.1993.tb00313.x)
Articles
- Foster, D. 2024. Co-production with disabled people during the pandemic: the creation of a new political discourse that acknowledges the role of human rights in policymaking in Wales. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 26(1), pp. 410-422. (10.16993/sjdr.1054)
- Shi, C. and Foster, D. 2024. The past, present and future: hukou as a social status and its impact on Chinese disabled migrant workers; social mobility in the labor market. Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal 18(4), pp. 1-28.
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2022. Doing diversity in the legal profession in England and Wales: why do disabled people continue to be unexpected?. Journal of Law and Society 49(3), pp. 447-469.
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2022. Doing diversity in the legal profession in England and Wales: why do disabled people continue to be unexpected?. Journal of Law and Society 49(3), pp. 447-469. (10.1111/jols.12382)
- Foster, D., Masso, M. and Osila, L. 2021. Work accommodations and sustainable working. The role of social partners and industrial relations in the employment of disabled and older people in Estonia, Hungary and Poland. European Journal of Industrial Relations 27(2), pp. 149-165. (10.1177/0959680120971896)
- Masso, M. et al. 2019. The influence of collective employment relations on work accommodation: case studies in Estonia, Hungary and Poland. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 25(4), pp. 451-464. (10.1177/1024258919828597)
- Foster, D. 2018. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for (disabled) workers or just a capital idea?. Work, Employment and Society 32(1), pp. 186-197. (10.1177/0950017016682458)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. J. 2015. Nobody's responsibility: the precarious position of disabled employees in the UK workplace. Industrial Relations Journal 46(4), pp. 328-343. (10.1111/irj.12107)
- Foster, D. and Ren, X. 2015. Work-family conflict and the commodification of women's employment in three Chinese airlines. International Journal of Human Resource Management 26(12), pp. 1568-1585. (10.1080/09585192.2014.949821)
- Foster, D. 2015. Devolution and disabled workers: the experiences of union equality representatives in Wales. Industrial Relations Journal 46(2), pp. 153-168. (10.1111/irj.12096)
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2013. Disability in the labour market: an exploration of concepts of the ideal worker and organisational fit that disadvantage employees with impairments. Sociology 47(4), pp. 705-721. (10.1177/0038038512454245)
- Ren, X. and Foster, D. J. 2011. Women's experiences of work and family conflict in a Chinese airline. Asia Pacific Business Review 17(3), pp. 325-341. (10.1080/13602380903462159)
- Foster, D. J. and Fosh, P. 2010. Negotiating ‘difference’: representing disabled employees in the British workplace. British Journal of Industrial Relations 48(3), pp. 560-582. (10.1111/j.1467-8543.2009.00748.x)
- Chen, C., Fosh, P. and Foster, D. J. 2008. Gender differences in perceptions of organizational cultures in the banking industry in Taiwan. Journal of Industrial Relations 50(1), pp. 139-156. (10.1177/0022185607085698)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2007. Trade Unions and Regional Government Working in Partnership? Emergent Lessons from Wales. Economic and Industrial Democracy 28(3), pp. 349-373. (10.1177/0143831X07079352)
- Foster, D. J. 2007. Legal Obligation or Personal Lottery? Employee Experiences of Disability and the Negotiation of Adjustments in the Public Sector Workplace. Work Employment & Society 21(1), pp. 67-84. (10.1177/0950017007073616)
- Foster, D. J., Chou, W. G. and Fosh, P. 2005. Female managers in Taiwan: opportunities and barriers in changing times. Asia Pacific Business Review 11(2), pp. 251-266. (10.1080/1360238042000291153)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2003. EMU and public service trade unionism: between states and markets. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 9(4), pp. 702-721. (10.1177/102425890300900412)
- Foster, D. J. and Hoggett, P. 1999. Change in the Benefits Agency: empowering the exhausted worker?. Work, Employment and Society 13(1), pp. 19-39. (10.1177/09500179922117773)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 1998. Conceptualising union responses to contracting out municipal services, 1979-97. Industrial Relations Journal 29(2), pp. 137-150. (10.1111/1468-2338.00086)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 1998. Competitive tendering of public services and industrial relations policy: the Conservative agenda under Thatcher and Major, 1979-97. Historical Studies in Industrial Relations 6, pp. 101-132.
- Foster, D. J. 1993. Industrial relations in local government: the impact of privatisation. Political Quarterly 64(1), pp. 49-59. (10.1111/j.1467-923X.1993.tb00313.x)
Book sections
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2020. Understanding (disabled people as) ghosts in professional work: the contribution of feminist research. In: Fielden, S., Moore, M. and Bend, G. eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Disability in Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave
- Foster, D. 2018. Foreward. In: Werth, S. and Brownlow, C. eds. Work and Identity: Contemporary Perspectives on Diversity. Palgrave, pp. v-vii.
- Foster, D. J. 2015. Working in partnership: devolution and the development of a distinctive equalities agenda in employment in Wales. In: Equality, a. D. F. a. E. R. N. ed. Beyond 2015: Shaping The Future of Equality and Human Rights and Social Justice: A collection of essays from the Equality and Diversity Forum and EDF Research Network. London: Equality and Diversity Forum, pp. 134-144.
- Foster, D. J. 2011. Understanding workplace adjustments for disabled employees: the law and good practice. In: Wright, T. and Conley, H. eds. Gower Handbook of Discrimination at Work. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 173-184.
- Foster, D. J. and Williams, L. 2010. The past, present and future of workplace equality agendas: problems of intersectionality in theory and practice. In: Blyton, P. R., Heery, E. J. and Turnbull, P. J. eds. Reassessing the employment relationship. Management, Work and Organisations Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 318-341.
- Foster, D. J., Wen-Chi, G. C. and Fosh, P. 2009. Female managers in Taiwan: ongoing change and the need for further research. In: Yukongdi, Y. and Benson, J. eds. Women in Asian Management. London: Taylor & Francis/Routledge, pp. 110-125.
- Wen-Chi, G., Fosh, P., Chih-Chen, C. and Foster, D. J. 2008. The Changing Face of Women Managers in Taiwan. In: Rowley, C. and Yukongdi, V. eds. The Changing Face of Women Managers in Asia. Working in Asia Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 171-198.
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2007. La "desregularizatión" del empleo: El impacto de la reorganización del Estado Británico. In: Castillo, S., Pigenet, M. and Soubiran-Paillet, F. eds. Estados y Relaciones de Trabajo en la Europa del Siglo XX. Madrid, Spain: Ediciones Cinca, pp. 299-319.
- Foster, D. J. and Hoggett, P. 2006. Change in the benefits agency: empowering the exhausted worker?. In: Beynon, H. and Nichols, T. eds. Patterns of Work in the Post-Fordist Era: Fordism and Post-Fordism., Vol. 2. Elgar Mini Series Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 439-459.
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2003. Meeting the challenge?. In: Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. eds. Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge. Travail & Société - Work & Society Vol. 32. Brussels: Peter Lang, pp. 11-32.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2003. Trade unions, public services and the Euro. In: Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. eds. Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge., Vol. 32. Travail & Société - Work & Society Vol. 32. Brussels: Peter Lang, pp. 167-197.
- Foster, D. 1996. Competitive tendering in local government: Trade Unions and organizational change. In: Braddon, D. and Foster, D. eds. Privatisation: Social Science Themes and Perspectives.. Dartmouth, pp. 41-66.
- Foster, D. and Braddon, D. 1996. An inter-disciplinary approach to the analysis of privatization and marketization?. In: Braddon, D. and Foster, D. eds. Privatisation: Social Science Themes and Perspectives.. Dartmouth, pp. 287-310.
- Braddon, D. and Foster, D. 1996. Introduction. In: Braddon, D. and Foster, D. eds. Simulated and Virtual Realities,. Taylor and Francis, pp. 1-17.
Conferences
- Foster, D. 2023. The influence of the social model of disability and co-production in the Welsh policy-making context. The potential for a new political discourse that recognises the important role of human rights. Presented at: Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2023, Ulster University, 04-06 April 2023.
- Foster, D. 2022. The power of using the method of co-production with disabled people: translating ‘private troubles’ into social and political actions to build equality and justice.. Presented at: BSA 2022 Virtual Annual Conference, Virtual, 20 - 22 April 2022.
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2020. Legally disabled? The career experiences of disabled people working in the legal profession: conference report. Presented at: Legally Disabled? The Career Experiences of Disabled Poeple Working in the Legal Profession in England and Wales, British Academy, London, 24th January 2020. Cardiff University
- Foster, D. and Masso, M. 2018. Re-imagining work around the life-course: the role of work accommodation, job-design and industrial relations in promoting equality and fairness in the workplace. Presented at: Industrial Relations in Europe Conference (IREC), KU Leuven, Belgium, 10-13 Sep 2018.
- Foster, D. 2017. Time to radically re-think workplace inclusion and well-being: developing a strategy to challenge ableism in contemporary neo-liberal workplaces. Presented at: 10th International Critical Management Studies (CMS) Conference 2017, Liverpool, UK, 3-5th July 2017. pp. 451-460.
- Foster, D. J. 2015. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for disabled workers or just a capital idea?. Presented at: The Canadian Disability Studies Association (CDSA-ACEI) Conference 'Capital Ideas', Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottowa, ON, Canada, 2-4 June 2015.
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2015. The contribution of gender theory to investigating disability and professional work. Presented at: Nordic Network on Disability Research NNDR 13th Research Conference, Bergen, Norway, 6-8 May 2015.
- Foster, D. J. 2015. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for disabled people or just a capital idea?. Presented at: The Canadian Disability Studies Association Conference 'Capital Ideas', Ottawa, Canada, June 2nd-4th, 2015.
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2014. Gender, disability and professional work: The need to question established norms. Presented at: The Gender, Work and Organization 8th Biennial International Interdisciplinary Conference, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, 24th-26th June 2014.
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2011. The ideal worker and capitalist forms of production: Can employees with impairments ever achive organisational fit?. Presented at: The Centre for Global Labour Research: Capitalism and work, Cardiff, UK, 12th January 2011.
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2010. Disability in the labour market: An exploration of concepts of the ‘ideal worker’ and organisational ‘fit’ that disadvantage employees with impairments. Presented at: Ideational Research in Employment Relations : Annual Conference of the Employment Research Unit, Cardiff, UK, September 2010.
- Ren, X. and Foster, D. J. 2008. Balancing work and life in the Chinese airline industry: Women's experiences in the east and some comparisons with the west. Presented at: International Federation of Scholarly Association of Management’ (IFSAM) 9th World Congress, Shanghai, China, 27-28th July 2008.
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2007. Deregulation of employment: the impact of the reorganisation of the UK State. Presented at: States and Work Relationships in 20th Century Europe, Madrid, Spain, 15-16 November 2007.
- Foster, D. J. and Fosh, P. 2006. Representing disabled employees in the workplace: the need for a multi-dimensional approach. Presented at: Proceedings of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association Conference, Galway, Ireland, 28-30 June 2006.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2004. Public service trade unions and devolved government in the UK: a new political contingency?. Presented at: IREC conference 2004, Utrecht, Netherlands, 26-28 August 2004.
Monographs
- Foster, D. et al. 2021. Locked out: liberating disabled people's lives and rights in Wales beyond COVID-19. Cardiff: Welsh Government. Available at: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2021/7/2/1626187155/locked-out-liberating-disabled-peoples-lives-and-rights-wales-beyond-covid-19.pdf
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2020. Legally Disabled? The career experiences of disabled people working in the legal profession. Full report. Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.legallydisabled.com
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2020. Legally disabled? The impact of Covid-19 on the employment and training of disabled lawyers in England and Wales: opportunities for job-redesign and best practice. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff University. Available at: http://legallydisabled.com/research-reports/
- Foster, D. and Hirst, N. 2019. Legally disabled? The career experiences of disabled people working in the legal profession. Executive summary and recommendations. Cardiff University.
- Masso, M., Osila, L. and Foster, D. 2017. Industrial relations and work adaptation in Estonia, Hungary, Poland: Supporting industrial relations in the field of work adaptation to enable the employment of older or disabled populations: Synthesis Report. Project Report. Tallinn: Praxis Centre for Policy Studies.
- Fevre, R. W., Foster, D. J., Jones, M. and Wass, V. J. 2016. Closing disability gaps at work: deficits in evidence and variations in experience. Project Report. Cardiff University.
- Masso, M., Nurmela, K. and Foster, D. J. 2016. Industrial relations and workplace adaptation: Supporting industrial relations in the field of workplace adaptation to enable the employment of older or disabled populations: Literature review. Project Report. Estonia: PRAXIS Centre for Policy Studies.
Websites
- Foster, D. 2022. Disability and why the personal is political in socio-legal research. [Online]. Journal of Law & Society Conversations blog: Journal of Law & Society. Available at: https://journaloflawandsociety.co.uk/blog/disability-and-why-the-personal-is-political-in-socio-legal-research/
- Foster, D. 2018. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for (disabled) workers or just a capital idea?. Work, Employment and Society 32(1), pp. 186-197. (10.1177/0950017016682458)
- Fevre, R. W., Foster, D. J., Jones, M. and Wass, V. J. 2016. Closing disability gaps at work: deficits in evidence and variations in experience. Project Report. Cardiff University.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. J. 2015. Nobody's responsibility: the precarious position of disabled employees in the UK workplace. Industrial Relations Journal 46(4), pp. 328-343. (10.1111/irj.12107)
- Foster, D. and Ren, X. 2015. Work-family conflict and the commodification of women's employment in three Chinese airlines. International Journal of Human Resource Management 26(12), pp. 1568-1585. (10.1080/09585192.2014.949821)
- Foster, D. J. 2015. Working in partnership: devolution and the development of a distinctive equalities agenda in employment in Wales. In: Equality, a. D. F. a. E. R. N. ed. Beyond 2015: Shaping The Future of Equality and Human Rights and Social Justice: A collection of essays from the Equality and Diversity Forum and EDF Research Network. London: Equality and Diversity Forum, pp. 134-144.
- Foster, D. J. 2015. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for disabled workers or just a capital idea?. Presented at: The Canadian Disability Studies Association (CDSA-ACEI) Conference 'Capital Ideas', Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottowa, ON, Canada, 2-4 June 2015.
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2015. The contribution of gender theory to investigating disability and professional work. Presented at: Nordic Network on Disability Research NNDR 13th Research Conference, Bergen, Norway, 6-8 May 2015.
- Foster, D. 2015. Devolution and disabled workers: the experiences of union equality representatives in Wales. Industrial Relations Journal 46(2), pp. 153-168. (10.1111/irj.12096)
- Foster, D. J. 2015. The health and well-being at work agenda: good news for disabled people or just a capital idea?. Presented at: The Canadian Disability Studies Association Conference 'Capital Ideas', Ottawa, Canada, June 2nd-4th, 2015.
- Foster, D. and Williams, J. 2014. Gender, disability and professional work: The need to question established norms. Presented at: The Gender, Work and Organization 8th Biennial International Interdisciplinary Conference, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, 24th-26th June 2014.
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2013. Disability in the labour market: an exploration of concepts of the ideal worker and organisational fit that disadvantage employees with impairments. Sociology 47(4), pp. 705-721. (10.1177/0038038512454245)
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2011. The ideal worker and capitalist forms of production: Can employees with impairments ever achive organisational fit?. Presented at: The Centre for Global Labour Research: Capitalism and work, Cardiff, UK, 12th January 2011.
- Foster, D. J. 2011. Understanding workplace adjustments for disabled employees: the law and good practice. In: Wright, T. and Conley, H. eds. Gower Handbook of Discrimination at Work. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 173-184.
- Foster, D. J. and Williams, L. 2010. The past, present and future of workplace equality agendas: problems of intersectionality in theory and practice. In: Blyton, P. R., Heery, E. J. and Turnbull, P. J. eds. Reassessing the employment relationship. Management, Work and Organisations Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 318-341.
- Foster, D. J. and Fosh, P. 2010. Negotiating ‘difference’: representing disabled employees in the British workplace. British Journal of Industrial Relations 48(3), pp. 560-582. (10.1111/j.1467-8543.2009.00748.x)
- Foster, D. J. and Wass, V. J. 2010. Disability in the labour market: An exploration of concepts of the ‘ideal worker’ and organisational ‘fit’ that disadvantage employees with impairments. Presented at: Ideational Research in Employment Relations : Annual Conference of the Employment Research Unit, Cardiff, UK, September 2010.
- Foster, D. J., Wen-Chi, G. C. and Fosh, P. 2009. Female managers in Taiwan: ongoing change and the need for further research. In: Yukongdi, Y. and Benson, J. eds. Women in Asian Management. London: Taylor & Francis/Routledge, pp. 110-125.
- Wen-Chi, G., Fosh, P., Chih-Chen, C. and Foster, D. J. 2008. The Changing Face of Women Managers in Taiwan. In: Rowley, C. and Yukongdi, V. eds. The Changing Face of Women Managers in Asia. Working in Asia Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 171-198.
- Ren, X. and Foster, D. J. 2008. Balancing work and life in the Chinese airline industry: Women's experiences in the east and some comparisons with the west. Presented at: International Federation of Scholarly Association of Management’ (IFSAM) 9th World Congress, Shanghai, China, 27-28th July 2008.
- Chen, C., Fosh, P. and Foster, D. J. 2008. Gender differences in perceptions of organizational cultures in the banking industry in Taiwan. Journal of Industrial Relations 50(1), pp. 139-156. (10.1177/0022185607085698)
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2007. Deregulation of employment: the impact of the reorganisation of the UK State. Presented at: States and Work Relationships in 20th Century Europe, Madrid, Spain, 15-16 November 2007.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2007. Trade Unions and Regional Government Working in Partnership? Emergent Lessons from Wales. Economic and Industrial Democracy 28(3), pp. 349-373. (10.1177/0143831X07079352)
- Foster, D. J. 2007. Legal Obligation or Personal Lottery? Employee Experiences of Disability and the Negotiation of Adjustments in the Public Sector Workplace. Work Employment & Society 21(1), pp. 67-84. (10.1177/0950017007073616)
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2007. La "desregularizatión" del empleo: El impacto de la reorganización del Estado Británico. In: Castillo, S., Pigenet, M. and Soubiran-Paillet, F. eds. Estados y Relaciones de Trabajo en la Europa del Siglo XX. Madrid, Spain: Ediciones Cinca, pp. 299-319.
- Foster, D. J. and Hoggett, P. 2006. Change in the benefits agency: empowering the exhausted worker?. In: Beynon, H. and Nichols, T. eds. Patterns of Work in the Post-Fordist Era: Fordism and Post-Fordism., Vol. 2. Elgar Mini Series Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 439-459.
- Foster, D. J. and Fosh, P. 2006. Representing disabled employees in the workplace: the need for a multi-dimensional approach. Presented at: Proceedings of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association Conference, Galway, Ireland, 28-30 June 2006.
- Foster, D. J., Chou, W. G. and Fosh, P. 2005. Female managers in Taiwan: opportunities and barriers in changing times. Asia Pacific Business Review 11(2), pp. 251-266. (10.1080/1360238042000291153)
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2004. Public service trade unions and devolved government in the UK: a new political contingency?. Presented at: IREC conference 2004, Utrecht, Netherlands, 26-28 August 2004.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2003. EMU and public service trade unionism: between states and markets. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 9(4), pp. 702-721. (10.1177/102425890300900412)
- Scott, P. and Foster, D. J. 2003. Meeting the challenge?. In: Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. eds. Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge. Travail & Société - Work & Society Vol. 32. Brussels: Peter Lang, pp. 11-32.
- Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. 2003. Trade unions, public services and the Euro. In: Foster, D. J. and Scott, P. eds. Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge., Vol. 32. Travail & Société - Work & Society Vol. 32. Brussels: Peter Lang, pp. 167-197.
Research
Research interests
Current Research: Legally Disabled? The Career Experiences of Disabled People in the Legal Profession.
- Experiences of disability and ableism in employment, professional work, organisations, HRM and trade union representation.
- Gender and employment and the intersections of gender with disability and age.
- Trade union representation of diverse groups in the workplace
- Marketisation policiesand their impact on employment relations
Research Funding
October 2019 - Dec. 2020: £24,700 'Disability Equality and Inclusion in the legal profession: co-producing strategies for change'. ESRC Impact Grant.
May 2017- May 2019: £88,077 from DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning) National Lottery Funded grants, for a project entitled 'Legally Disabled? Career experiences and futures of disabled people in the legal profession in England and Wales.
April 2016 - March 2018: 206,277 Euros from the European Union [VP/2015/004] for a grant entitled ‘Improving expertise in the field of industrial relations for Older and Disabled Workers’. D. Foster (co-applicant), principal applicant PRAXIS, Estonia. This action research is working with social partners in Estonia, Hungary and Poland, to develop industrial relations strategies to integrate workplace accommodations for older and disabled workers into employer and trade union agendas.
March-July 2016: An award of £4,462 from the CARBS Public Value Engagement Project fund to establish a new research cluster: Cardiff University Research on Employment & Disability (CRED). D. Foster (P.A), co-applicants Ralph Fevre (SOCSI) and Natasha Hirst.
October 2016 – September 2017: An award of £24,233 from the ESRC/IAA Accelerator fund for an impact project entitled, Disabled Employment Evidence-based Partnerships (DEEPEN). R. Fevre (P.A), D. Foster, M. Jones and V. Wass (Co-applicants). Main partners: Macmillan Cancer Support, Disability Rights UK, Disability Wales. Additional partners: Irwin Mitchell, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, College of Occupational Therapists, TUC.
July 2016 – December 2017: An award of £3,344 from CARBS seed-corn budget to undertake a scoping study.
Oct. 2014-Oct. 2015: An award of £15,000 for a Cardiff University Research Fellowship. £3,000 was also awarded for travel.
2004-2006 – ESRC small grant - Award Reference Number: RES-000-22-0722 for a project entitled "Gender, Disability and Representation in the workplace" (Dr. D. Foster – principal applicant). Examined employee experiences of negotiating workplace adjustments and the representation they received during this process.
1995-1996 - £4,000 awarded by the Severnside District Benefits Agency, Bristol to P. Hoggett and D. Foster for research entitled: “An investigation of ‘quality initiatives’ in the re-structured Social Security Benefits Agency”.
1997-2000 - £120,000 awarded from Non-Formula Funding, UWE to D. Foster (P.I) and G. Taylor (co-applicant) for research entitled: “A comparative Study of the Implications of the European Monetary Union on Public Services and Public Service Trade Unionism”.
Teaching
Teaching commitments
- Module co-ordinator for the MBA module BST542 Management of Change.
Additional teaching
I annually supervise students on the MSc HRM and the MBA. I am also an experienced PhD supervisor and welcome enquiries from prospective postgraduate students who are interested in conducting postgraduate research in the following areas:
- Equality & diversity in the workplace (particularly gender, disability and work-family conflict)
- Public services, trade unionism and industrial relations
- Work and employment in Europe & Asia
- Managing Change in Organisations
Biography
Education & Qualifications
- PhD, Sociology,University of Bath
- BA (Hons) Sociology, University of Lancaster
- Postgraduate Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education, Oxford Polytechnic
Editorial work
- 2020 - invited to serve on the editorial board of the International Journal of Disability and Social Justice.
- 2017: Editorial Board member of the 'Journal of Chinese HRM'
- 2017- 2020: Editorial Board member of the journal 'Social Inclusion'
- 2013-16 Elected to Associate Editorial Board of Work, Employment & Society
- 1997-2000 Editor of 'Notes and Issues' for the journal 'Work, Employment & Society'
Professional memberships
- Member of the British Sociological Association since 1985
- Member of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA)
Committees and reviewing
Cardiff Business School representative to University Senate
School committees
Chair of the School Research Ethics Committee (SREC)
SREC Representative to Research Committee
External Committees
Member of the Wales National Advisory Board for DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning).
Member of the Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF) Research Network Advisory Group
Supervisions
Current Supervision
2016 - Leanne Greening ESRC Type 2 studentship
2018 - Cunquing Shi (Felix)
2019 - Ruth Nortey ESRC Collaborative Studentship with Disability Wales.
PhD supervision research interests
Enquiries regarding PhD supervision are particularly welcome from students wishing to pursue further research into all aspects of diversity and employment, but in particular from students wishing to develop proposals relating to disability and health, gender, ageing and employment. With a research interest in the following: trade union representation, industrial relations, marketization, professional work and the voluntary sector, it would also be possible to combine proposals about diversity and employment with these contexts. I have experience of data collection in the following countries: the UK, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, China, Taiwan.
Contact Details
FosterD1@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29208 75358
Aberconway Building, Room E25c, Colum Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
+44 29208 75358
Aberconway Building, Room E25c, Colum Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
