Lene Koch facts for kids
Lene Koch (born in 1947) is a Danish academic, researcher, and historian. She is known for her work in women's studies and her research into how traits are passed down through families. She helped start the Centre for Women's Research at the University of Copenhagen and led it from 1981 to 1985. Later, she became the head of Kvinfo, a Danish center for research on women and gender.
Early Life and Education
Lene Koch was born in Virum, Denmark, on July 31, 1947. Her father, Ole Carl Valdemar Koch, was a library inspector, and her mother was Anna Marie Ludvigsen.
She grew up in a home that valued learning. Lene went to N. Zahle's School, where she was very interested in science, especially physics and chemistry. In 1967, she finished her studies at Øregård Gymnasium. She first studied ancient Greek and Roman history at the University of Copenhagen. Later, in 1978, she earned a master's degree in English and history. While she was a student in the early 1970s, she was a leader in the Students' Council, which is like a student government. This is where she first became interested in studying women's history and issues.
Career and Research
Lene Koch was a key person in getting the University of Copenhagen more interested in women's studies. From 1981 to 1985, she managed the university's new Centre for Women's Research. Here, she focused on American historians who studied women, like Linda Gordon. In 1984, she published a collection of writings called Hendes egen verden, which explored women's history.
In 1986, she received a grant to research motherhood in Denmark. She looked into how fertility treatments, like artificial insemination, helped women who couldn't have children naturally.
In 1988, Lene Koch took over as the head of Kvinfo, an organization that researches women and gender. She brought back their journal, Forum for kvindeforskning (Forum for Women's Research), to discuss new ideas in women's studies.
From 1990, she worked as a lecturer in health research at Copenhagen University's Panum Institute. She made important contributions to research on how traits are passed down through families and on health checks for babies before they are born. She wrote many articles on these topics. Lene Koch led the Health Services Research Department at Copenhagen University until she retired and became a professor emeritus, which means she kept her title after retirement.
