Jane Ritchie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jane Beaglehole (1936-02-12)12 February 1936 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | 21 April 2023(2023-04-21) (aged 87) |
| Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Spouse | James Ritchie |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | psychology, child-raising |
| Institutions | University of Waikato |
| Thesis | |
| Relatives | Ernest Beaglehole (father) David Beaglehole (brother) John Beaglehole (uncle) Tim Beaglehole (cousin) |
Jane RitchieOBE (néeBeaglehole; 12 February 1936 – 21 April 2023) was a New Zealand psychology academic and expert of child-raising. She was an emeritus professor at theUniversity of Waikato.[1] She was the first woman to graduate with aPhD in psychology from a New Zealand university.[2]
Ritchie was born on 12 February 1936 inHonolulu as Jane Beaglehole,[3] the daughter of psychologist and ethnologistErnest Beaglehole.[4] The family lived in New Zealand from 1937. She received her education at Karori School andWellington Girls' College. She then studied atVictoria University and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1956, a Master of Arts in 1957, and aPhD in 1963.[3] Her 1957 master thesis was titledChildhood in Rakau: A Study of the First Five Years of Life[5] and the PhD, submitted in 1962, had the titleMaori Families: an Exploratory Study in Wellington City. While at Victoria, she met and marriedJames Ritchie, and the two collaborated on almost all their future research, just as her parents had done.[6]
They both moved to theUniversity of Waikato, and both rose to full professor.[6][7][8] She was a postdoctoral research fellow from 1973 to 1975, a lecturer from 1976 to 1979 and a senior lecturer from 1980 to 1984. She was promoted to associate professor in 1985,[3] and in 1995 was appointed a professor.[9]
James Ritchie died in 2009[10] and Jane retired in 2010.[9] Two younger brothers have achieved notability.David Beaglehole (1938–2014) was aphysicist at Victoria University.Robert Beaglehole (born 1945) is an emeritus professor inepidemiology at theUniversity of Auckland.[11] Jane Ritchie died on April 21, 2023, at the age of 87.[12][13]
In the1989 New Year Honours, Ritchie was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to women, education and the community.[9][14] In 2017, she was selected as one of theRoyal Society of New Zealand's "150 women in 150 words".[15]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
