Katarina Milovuk (1844–1913), was a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

educator and

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. She was the principal and director of the first institution of higher learning for women in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, the Women's Grandes écoles in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, in 1863–1893, and founder of the first women's organization in Serbia, the ''Žensko društvo'' (Women's Society).

Life

Katarina Milovuk was appointed director of the then newly founded Women's ''Grande école'' in Belgrade in 1863. This was the first institution of higher learning open to women in Serbia, and the only one until 1891: first a three-year program, it offered four years in 1866, five in 1879, and six in 1886, and mainly focused as a training college for female teachers within the national school system. In the mid-19th century,

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

an ideas of women's rights began to spread among the urban middle classes in Serbia, especially focused on giving women higher knowledge to make them suitable as mother-teachers and intellectual partners of their husbands. In 1875, Katarina Milovuk founded the first women's organization in Serbia: the

Women's Society of Belgrade The Women's Society of Belgrade (Београдско женско друштво) was a Serbian women's rights organisation, founded in 1875 and active until 1941. Its purpose was to work for the emancipation of women as well as patriotic charit ...

, which was to be the dominating women's organisation in Serbia until the establishment of the

Circle of Serbian Sisters The Circle of Serbian Sisters ( sr-Latn, Kolo Srpskih Sestara) was a women's charitable society established in Belgrade in 1903. Among the founders of the society were Mabel Grujić, wife of Slavko J. Grujić, Blanš Vesnić, wife of Milenko Ve ...

in 1903. The society was primarily focused on humanitarian issues such as helping poor women and children, particularly war orphans.

Fight for Women's Suffrage

In 1897, she applied to be enrolled in the voters' register and when refused, she launched an official complaint that was rejected with a 2:1 vote at the lower court. She did not appeal, but in 1903 she wrote to the Serbian King Alexander asking for the women's at least passive right to vote, claiming the right of choice and responsibility for that choice made as being a fundamental human right. In 1913, speaking at the International Woman Suffrage Alliance congress in Budapest, she appeared in public for the last time less than two months before her death.Dedić, Marija (31. 7. 2014). „''Kolovođa'' srpskih sestara Katarina Milovuk”. ''Novosti'', 31 July 2014 Visa zenska skola u Beogradu.jpg, The building of the Higher Women's School in Belgrade, built in 1860 and demolished in 1930 Beogradsko zensko drustvo - Uprava.jpg, Management of the Belgrade Women's Society, 1894 Katarina Milovuk photo.jpg, Photograph of Katarina Milovuk with orders, with her signature

Life

Fight for Women's Suffrage

References

Further reading