Karen DeCrow

Karen DeCrow – Life, Activism, and Legacy

Karen DeCrow (1937–2014) was a pioneering American feminist attorney, author, and activist. She served as national president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), championed gender equality, and argued for shared parenting and parental choice. This article explores her life, work, and enduring impact.

Introduction

Karen DeCrow, born December 18, 1937, and deceased June 6, 2014, is remembered as one of the bold and often controversial voices in the feminist and civil rights movements in the United States. As an attorney, writer, and activist, she pushed for systemic change—especially around legal equality, parental rights, and dismantling gendered assumptions. Her career spanned journalism, litigation, advocacy, organizational leadership, and public debate. Though some of her stances invited criticism, her influence and complexity make her a compelling figure.

Early Life and Education

Karen DeCrow was born Karen Lipschultz in Chicago, Illinois, on December 18, 1937, to a Jewish family. Her father, Samuel Meyer Lipschultz, was a businessman; her mother, Juliette Abt Lipschultz, was a professional ballet dancer. She grew up in Chicago’s public school system and graduated from Sullivan High School in 1955.

She went on to attend Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1959. After working as a journalist and editor for several years, she later pursued legal training. In 1969, she enrolled in Syracuse University College of Law, graduating in 1972 as the only woman in her class.

Career and Activism

From Journalism to Feminist Awakening

After college, DeCrow spent a decade working as a writer and editor—including as a fashion editor for Golf Digest. During that time, she observed gender pay disparity in her workplace, a realization that spurred her activism.

In 1967, she and her mother saw a televised interview about the National Organization for Women (NOW) and decided to join the movement. She co-founded the Syracuse chapter of NOW in 1968 and served as its chapter president.

By 1969 she was running for mayor of Syracuse—the first woman to do so in New York State. That same year, she and colleague Faith Seidenberg entered McSorley’s Old Ale House, an all-male establishment, were refused service, and sued for gender discrimination. The case, Seidenberg v. McSorley’s, eventually established that such a public place could not legally exclude women.

Leadership in NOW and National Feminist Campaigns

In 1974, DeCrow was elected National President of NOW, serving until 1977. During her leadership, she led or supported significant initiatives:

• Pressing the federal government and corporations to increase women’s representation in workplaces, government, and academia.

• Campaigning for inclusion of women's athletics under Title IX protections.

• Advocating for NASA to recruit women as astronauts.

• Establishing NOW’s National Task Force on Battered Women / Household Violence.

• Engaging in public debates (over 80) with anti-ERA activist Phyllis Schlafly concerning the Equal Rights Amendment.

• Advocating for sex discrimination protections in Fair Housing, and challenging exclusionary practices in public accommodations.

Notably, during her presidency she was the last NOW leader to serve without pay or a dedicated office.

Legal Practice and Controversial Stances

After earning her J.D., DeCrow built a legal practice centered on gender equality, civil liberties, parental rights, and age discrimination.

She took positions that sometimes drew criticism from within feminist circles:

• She was a strong proponent of joint custody (shared legal and physical custody) of children after divorce, arguing that fathers, like mothers, deserve equal parental rights.

• She argued that men should have the legal option to “opt out” of parenthood—i.e. the decision not to become a parent.

• In 1981, she represented former NYPD detective Frank Serpico in a paternity/custody dispute, defending him on the argument that women making autonomous reproductive decisions should not necessarily expect men to bear parental financial obligations.

She also supported free speech even in regimes of controversy, opposing censorship including that of pornography.

Writing, Public Voice & Later Activities

DeCrow was a prolific writer, authoring books, columns, and many essays. Her notable works include:

• The Young Woman’s Guide to Liberation (1971)

• Sexist Justice: How Legal Sexism Affects You (1975)

• Women Who Marry Houses: Panic and Protest in Agoraphobia (co-written)

She maintained a regular column in the Syracuse New Times (1985–2007) and, later, in the Syracuse Post-Standard (2011–2013).

She remained a public speaker and debater, traveling internationally (e.g. to USSR, China, Mexico, Greece) to promote feminist and civil rights agendas.

Philosophy & Beliefs

Karen DeCrow’s activism was grounded in a belief in absolute gender equality: she saw the goal as rendering the gender of a baby irrelevant to its future opportunities. She famously stated:

“I think that what gender a person is should never — I repeat, NEVER — make a difference.”

Her vision extended beyond women’s liberation to what she sometimes termed men’s liberation—arguing that gendered expectations harm all genders.

On parental rights, DeCrow supported a rebuttable presumption of shared custody after divorce, believing children benefit from involvement of both parents.

DeCrow also endorsed what she called “abortion of paper”—a concept by which biological fathers might renounce future parental rights and responsibilities in certain cases.

On free speech, she was consistent: she opposed censorship and argued for robust civil liberties, even in contentious areas.

Recognition & Honors

Karen DeCrow received multiple honors for her work:

• Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009

• Honored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1985

• Received an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York at Oswego (1994)

• Northwestern University recognized her via their Medill Hall of Achievement and Service to Society Awards

• New York State Bar Association awarded her the Ruth G. Schapiro Memorial Award and local bar associations honored her as a distinguished lawyer

• In 1974, Time magazine included her among the 200 Future Leaders of America

Challenges, Criticism & Complexity

Karen DeCrow’s views on joint custody and fathers’ rights placed her at odds with some feminists who argued that prioritizing fathers’ rights risked undermining protections for women and children. Her willingness to defend men’s parental claims and to allow men to opt out of fatherhood rights drew criticism and led her, by her own account, to become a “persona non grata” in some feminist circles.

Her participation in the Serpico case, defending a man in a paternal suit, also drew backlash from feminists who saw it as inconsistent with pro-woman advocacy.

Nonetheless, DeCrow accepted the cost of holding these positions, arguing that genuine equality meant fairness for all sexes.

Notable Quotes

Here are a few quotations attributed to Karen DeCrow:

• “Most of us believe that women can do what men do. The challenge is to convince employers, legislators, mothers, that men can do what women do.”

• “A world where the gender of a baby will have little or no relevance in future pursuits and pleasures.” (Her stated ultimate vision)

• “I think that what gender a person is should never — I repeat, NEVER — make a difference.”

• In public commentary, she said she had become “a persona non grata because I’ve always been in favor of joint custody.”

Legacy & Influence

Karen DeCrow’s legacy is multifaceted:

1. Institutional Feminist Leadership: As president of NOW, she guided major campaigns that helped broaden the scope of gender equality in areas like housing, employment, education, athletics, and reproductive rights.

2. Legal Advocacy: She used the law as a tool for social change, litigating discrimination cases and pushing boundaries in family law, custody, and parental rights.

3. Expanding Feminist Discourse: Her advocacy for men’s rights, shared custody, and parental choice challenged some orthodoxies in feminist circles—forcing dialogue and reexamination of rigid positions.

4. Public Debate & Visibility: Through debates, writing, and public speaking, she helped make feminism and gender equality topics of national conversation, especially in the 1970s and beyond.

5. Inspirational Complexity: Her willingness to hold controversial positions and accept criticism underscores that social movements are not monolithic, and that genuine equality sometimes demands discomfort.

Today, scholars and activists study DeCrow’s archives (housed at Northwestern University) to explore how feminist legal strategies, parental rights debates, and gender equality evolved.

Conclusion

Karen DeCrow was a bold, complex, and courageous advocate whose life spanned journalism, law, feminist leadership, and parental rights activism. She refused easy alignment with any single ideology, and often swam upstream within movements she helped shape. Her insistence on equality not just for women, but for all genders, and her challenges to legal and cultural structures, leave a provocative legacy.