Katarina Milovuk bila je feministkinja i osnivačica nekoliko ženskih udruženja.
Rođena u Novom Sadu, gde je završila osnovnu školu, a obrazovanje nastavlja u Rusiji, po insistiranju roditelja koji su smatrali da sa obrazovanjem ne treba da stane posle osnovne škole. Nakon završene gimnazije u Rusiji, Katarina polaže pedagoški ispit i odlazi u Srbiju (gde joj se preselila porodica). Kao jedinu ženu sa diplomom Katarinu 1863. postavljaju na čelo tada tek osnovane beogradske Više ženske škole i na toj poziciji ona ostaje narednih 30 godina.
Svoj život i karijeru Katarina će posvetiti borbi za žensku emancipaciju i obrazovanje. Kao žena širokog obrazovanja, Katarina će u Višu žensku školu uneti promene od velikog značaja, uvodeći veliki broj novih predmeta. Uvela je pedagogiju, metodiku, nemački, ruski, francuski i na njenu inicijativu se osniva školski hor.
Pored obaveza koje imala u Višoj školi, Katarina je osnivala ženska udruženja u kojima su žene podsticane da privređuju. Davne 1875. godine osnovala je Žensko društvo, a samo u 1879. godini započinje list „Domaćica“ koje je bilo glasilo „Ženskog društva“, osniva Žensku radionicu – školu šivenja, i Pazar – mesto na kojem su mogle da se kupuju rukotvorine koje su pravljene u Ženskoj radionici. Žensko društvo se bavilo i humanitarnim radom, a Katarina je osnovala i prihvatilište „Sv. Jelena“ koje se brinulo o deci ratnika iz balkanskih ratova.
Ženski savez osniva u cilju borbe za pravo glasa za žene, a Katarina je lično od kralja Aleksandra tražila da bude upisana u birački spisak. Katarina je o patrijarhalnom društvu napisala „Ne znam kakvim su pravom ljudi prisvojili svu vlast u svoje ruke i upravljaju sudbinom ove zemlje bez naše saradnje, kad je ova zemlja naša koliko i njihova i mi smo deca ove zemlje i mi s njom delimo i zlo i dobro.“
Katarina Milovuk was a feminist and founder of several women’s organizations.
She was born in Novi Sad, where she had finished primary school. Her parents wanted her to continue with her education, as she did in Russia. After finishing grammar shool in Russia, Katarina passed an exam for a pedagogue and moved to Serbia (where her parents had moved previously). As only woman with a degree Katarina was appointed as head of Women’s High School in Belgrade in 1863. She remained at that position for the next 30 years.
Throughout her life and career Katarina advocated for women’s emancipation and equal education. As broadly educated person she implemented numerous changes into Women’s High School, introducing new subject, such as pedagogy, German, Russian, French, and a school choir.
Apart from obligations with the school, Katarina founded several women organizations, which were empowering women to earn money. In 1875 she founded Women’s Society. Solely in 1879 she started a magazine called “Housewife”, which was Women’s Society’s newspaper, she founded Women’s Workshop – sewing workshop and Market – a place where products made in the workshop could be purchased. Women’s Society was also involved in humanitarian work and Katarina founded “St Jelena” shelter, intended to shelter the children of fighters in the Balkan wars.
She founded Women’s Alliance, which advocated for women’s voting rights and Katarina herself demanded from king Aleksandar to be given that right. Katarina wrote the following word on the patriarchal society: “I don’t know with what rights men usurped all the power and manage the destiny of this country without collaborating with us, when this country is ours as much as it is their, and we are the children of this country and share the good and the bad with it.”