[3] Ridgeway received her bachelor's degree with honors and distinction in sociology from the University of Michigan in 1967.
She went on to teach at the University of Iowa from 1985 to 1991, acclaimed by her colleagues for her contributions to the social psychology program there.
[1] Ridgeway's contributions to the field starts with her publications on status and expectation states theory.
Ridgeway received the Cooley-Mead Award from the American Sociological Association in 2005 for her career contributions to social psychology.
[3] In 2009, Ridgeway received the Jessie Bernard Award for her work on gender inequality and her mentorship of younger, female academics.