Kathryn Clarenbach, A Force in the Modern Women’s Movement

Thursday, March 28, 7:00 P.M.

Online Event via Zoom

Register

TEMPO Madison is a program partner of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation's upcoming event on Kathryn Clarenbach. In this free online event, you'll hear from Gary Tipler who, under contract with the Madison Trust, prepared the Landmark Nomination for the Kathryn Clarenbach Family Residence at 2229 Eton Ridge, Madison.

Kathryn “Kay” Clarenbach was a principal leader in the development of the second wave of the feminist or modern women’s movement in Wisconsin and the United States. She worked as a university instructor, a civic volunteer, and as the mother of three children. She often worked from home – writing and planning activities for state and national women’s organizations and efforts.

Clarenbach earned her doctorate degrees in political science an economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, married and started a family while teaching in other states. Soon after the Clarenbach family moved to Madison in 1961, she began her career of organizing to remove impediments to women’s professional growth imposed by policies and laws, to enhance women’s contributions to society and the economy.

While teaching at Edgewood College, she developed the support for the Wisconsin Commission on the Status of Women that she subsequently chaired at the request of Governor John Reynolds. Concurrently, she served as the first Director of University Education of Women at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Over the years, Clarenbach helped plan and organize several causes and groups:

• National Organization for Women (NOW) to lobby for changes in Federal laws.
• The National Women's Political Caucus to train and elect women to political offices.
• Marital property and divorce reform.
• Women’s Studies program at the University of Wisconsin.
• National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, 1975.
• National Women's Conference Committee, 1977.
• Wisconsin Women’s Network, coalition of over 100 Wisconsin organizations that advance women’s rights.
• Wisconsin Women's Council to continue the work of the former Status of Women’s Commission.

In her career, Clarenbach gave hundreds of talks, provided media commentary, and published works to improve the lives of women and girls throughout Wisconsin and the United States.