Gloria Steinem, feminist and Ms. magazine founder, dies at 92
Gloria Steinem, the American writer, lecturer, activist and organiser who fought for gender equality and women’s civil rights for more than five decades, has died. She was 92.
Her foundation announced the death on Thursday via an Instagram post, confirming that she died on Wednesday.
Recognised for her signature centre-parted hair and aviator glasses, Steinem became a glamorous symbol of the second-wave feminist movement. She considered herself an entrepreneur of social change, famously stating that she learned feminism primarily from Black women and women of colour.
In 2013, then-President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US.
From undercover reporter to feminist leader
Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, Gloria Steinem spent her early years moving frequently with her travelling antique dealer father. Following her parents’ separation when she was 11, she became the primary carer for her mother, who suffered from severe depression. This early responsibility profoundly shaped her views on marriage and social injustice, driving her belief that traditional structures robbed women of fundamental choices.
After graduating from Smith College, Steinem began a freelance journalism career that quickly gained national attention. In 1963, she went undercover as a Playboy bunny for Show magazine. Her groundbreaking two-part expose, «A Bunny’s Tale,» revealed the dismal pay and sexist treatment endured by the waitstaff, later inspiring a 1985 television film.
Gloria Steinem helped launch New York magazine in 1968, but she credited a 1969 abortion speak-out in a New York church as the true catalyst for her activism. Having survived a then-illegal abortion in London at age 22, the event spurred her to co-found Ms. magazine in 1971.
The publication abandoned traditional women’s media staples like cookery and beauty in favour of tackling abortion, sexism and domestic violence. An early issue boldly published the names of 52 women who had undergone abortions, demanding legalisation before the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Building coalitions and redefining choices
Steinem was a relentless organiser, co-founding the National Women’s Political Caucus with Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm and Betty Friedan. She also established the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Women’s Media Center, Voters for Choice and the Ms. Foundation for Women.
Despite her vocal critiques of traditional marriage, once noting that women would not achieve equality outside the home until men matched it within, she married South African businessman David Bale at age 66. She framed the 2000 union as proof that feminism is about having the ability to choose what is right at any stage of life. Bale died three years later.
Gloria Steinem remained highly active into her 80s. She authored numerous books, produced documentaries on child abuse and hosted television series focused on gender-based violence. Director Julie Taymor, who adapted Steinem’s 2015 autobiography «My Life on the Road» into the 2020 film «The Glorias,» described her as a beacon of positive change. Through film, theatre and literature, Steinem’s legacy as a singular American leader continues to resonate.
