Karen DeCrow

Karen DeCrow
Born	Karen Lipschultz (1937-12-18)December 18, 1937 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	June 6, 2014(2014-06-06) (aged 76) Jamesville, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University Syracuse University

Karen DeCrow (née Lipschultz; December 18, 1937 – June 6, 2014) was an American attorney, author, and activist and feminist. She was also a strong supporter of equal rights for men in child custody decisions, arguing for a "rebuttable presumption" of shared custody after divorce.^[1] She also asserted that men as well as women should be allowed the decision not to become a parent. ^[1]

Personal life

Karen Lipschultz was born in Chicago, Illinois at the end of 1937.

After a brief first marriage, she was married her second husband, Roger DeCrow, a computer scientist in 1967.^[2]

DeCrow died of melanoma on June 6, 2014 in Jamesville, New York.^[3][4]

Career

Beginning her career as a journalist, she joined the National Organization for Women in 1969, and in 1969 she ran for mayor of the city of Syracuse, New York, becoming the first female mayoral candidate in the history of New York.^[5] After entering law school, she earned her Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 1972^[6]—the only female in the class of 1972.^[7]

DeCrow was elected president of the National Organization for Women from 1974 to 1977, during which time she led campaigns to ensure that collegiate sports would be included under the scope of Title IX, pressured NASA to recruit women as astronauts, oversaw the opening of a new NOW Action Center in Washington, D.C. and the establishment of NOW's National Task Force on Battered Women/Household Violence, and participated in a tour of over 80 public debates with antifeminist activist Phyllis Schlafly over the Equal Rights Amendment.^[8]

In 1978, DeCrow became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press.^[9]

Awards

DeCrow was honored by the American Civil Liberties Union in 1985.^[10]

Views

She was the author of several books, including The Young Woman’s Guide to Liberation (1971) and Sexist Justice—How Legal Sexism Affects You (1975).^[5] In October 2009, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.^[6] DeCrow describes her ultimate goal as "a world in which the gender of a baby will have little to no relevance in future pursuits and pleasures—personal, political, economic, social and professional."^[5] Toward that end, DeCrow was a supporter of shared parenting (joint legal and shared physical custody) of children when parents divorce.^[11][12] Her position on joint custody was criticized by some in the National Organization for Women: "I've become a persona non grata because I've always been in favor of joint custody," DeCrow said.^[13]

References