Dr Ruth Beresford

Research interests

Ruth’s interests are centred within workplace inequalities, low paid and/or precarious work, regulation and enforcement, worker experiences and trade unions. Her current research centres on workplace sexual harassment, particularly focusing on workers’ lived experiences, and experiences within low-paid and/or insecure work. Ruth is an experienced qualitative researcher with particular expertise in: feminist research methods, participatory research approaches, creative methods, and researching sensitive topics.

Academic profile

Ruth joined the Institute for Employment Research in July 2026 as a Research Fellow. Prior to this she was a Researcher in the Institute for Law and Social Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University. Ruth completed her ESRC funded PhD at the University of Sheffield. Her doctoral research explored women’s lived experiences of pornography using a participatory research design. Ruth is a member of The British Universities Industrial Relations Association and the International Labour and Employment Relations Association.

Selected publications

Jeffery, R., & Beresford, R. (2025). Unions Challenging Workplace Sexual Harassment in the UK. https://republic.gr/futureofwork/unions-challenging-workplace-sexual-harassment-in-the-uk/
Jeffery, R., Beresford, R., Thomas, P., Etherington, D., & Jones, M. (2024). Challenging Sexual Harassment in Low Paid & Precarious Hospitality Work.Sheffield Hallam University. Report available from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/33597/
Furness, P., Shelton, T., Beresford, R., Lawson, K., Taylor, S., & Haywood-Small, S. (2022). Physiotherapy for fibromyalgia: a phenomenological study of patients’ experiences. Journal of Pain Management.
Furness, P., Shelton, T., Beresford, R., Lawson, K., & Haywood-Small, S. (2022). Remote care for chronic pain: A qualitative evaluation with managers, practitioners and patients. Journal of Pain Management.
Hirst, J., Pickles, J., Kenny, M., Beresford, R., & Froggatt, C. (2022). A qualitative exploration of perceptions of anal sex: implications for sex education and sexual health services in England. Culture, Health and Sexuality.
Reynolds, J., Ogden, M., & Beresford, R. (2021). Conceptualising and constructing ‘diversity’ through experiences of public and patient involvement in health research. Research Involvement and Engagement, 7.
Reynolds, J., & Beresford, R. (2020). “An Active, Productive Life”: Narratives of, and Through, Participation in Public and Patient Involvement in Health Research. Qualitative Health Research.
Thomas, P., Etherington, D., Jeffery, R., Beresford, R., Beel, D., & Jones, M. (2020). Tackling Labour Market Injustice and Organising Workers: The View from a Northern Heartland. Sheffield TUC. Report available from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/26856/

Research Fellow

Institute for Employment Research
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL

ruth.beresford@warwick.ac.uk