Gloria Steinem, the pioneering journalist and activist who became one of the most recognizable figures of the American feminist movement, has died at 92.
Steinem died Wednesday at her home in New York, surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement posted on her official Instagram account.
For more than six decades, she stood at the intersection of journalism, politics and activism, helping move issues such as abortion rights, workplace equality, political representation and violence against women into the center of American public debate.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934, Steinem graduated from Smith College in 1956 and later spent two years in India, an experience that helped shape her interest in grassroots organizing.
She began her career as a freelance journalist in New York, at a time when women were often pushed toward fashion and lifestyle assignments. Her national breakthrough came in 1963, when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny for Show magazine and wrote about the working conditions faced by women in Hugh Hefner’s clubs.
In 1968, Steinem helped found New York magazine, where she worked as an editor and political writer. By the end of the decade, she had become deeply involved in the growing women’s liberation movement.
A major turning point came in 1969, when she attended a public hearing on abortion rights in New York. Steinem later said hearing women speak openly about their experiences changed the direction of her life. She herself had undergone an abortion at 22.
By the early 1970s, Steinem had become one of the most prominent faces of second-wave feminism.
In 1971, she joined activists including Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm and Betty Friedan in helping establish the National Women’s Political Caucus, aimed at increasing women’s participation in politics.
A year later, she co-founded Ms. magazine, which became one of the defining publications of the feminist movement. The magazine brought subjects including abortion, domestic violence, sexual harassment and workplace discrimination into mainstream discussion.
Steinem remained closely associated with Ms. for decades and went on to help found organizations including the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Women’s Media Center.
(Photo: AP)
She was also a prolific author. Her books included Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Revolution from Within, Moving Beyond Words and the memoir My Life on the Road.
Her influence extended far beyond journalism. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor.
Steinem continued speaking and writing about women’s rights well into her 90s, including after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Her career spanned a profound transformation in women’s status in American public life. Many of the battles she helped define remain unresolved, but Steinem’s central legacy was helping turn women’s experiences from issues often treated as private into questions of politics, rights and power.