Today, the idea that women and men should have equal rights doesn’t seem like a bold position. But this wasn’t always the case. Gloria Steinem, a journalist and activist, was a major voice of the modern wave of American feminism in the 1960s and 1970s. Her work helped establish many of the freedoms that women enjoy today. Steinem died on September 3, 2026, in her home in New York City, at the age of 92. Here, btw remembers her life and legacy.
Early Activism
Gloria Steinem was born in 1934 in Toledo, Ohio. She attended Smith College, where she graduated in 1956 with a degree in government studies. Steinem then spent two years in India and wrote about the anti-caste movement there. (There is a social tradition in India that divides society into social and political levels, based upon which hierarchical group they were born into.) In the early 1960s, she moved to New York City to be a journalist but often faced gender discrimination in a male-dominated field. Steinem wrote and published articles about issues that she would fight for her entire life, including the debate over the rights of female pregnancy and politics. In fact, she is credited with coining the term “reproductive freedom” to describe women’s right to determine for themselves if they want to have children or not.
Fighting for Women’s Rights
Through her groundbreaking writing, Steinem began to gain attention as an activist. In 1970, she testified before the U.S. Senate in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This proposed constitutional amendment wished to guarantee equal rights regardless of gender. But the ERA failed to pass, so Steinem co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus to help get more women elected to public office. Two years later, she co-founded Ms. magazine, which was written and controlled by women in an era when most publications were controlled by men.
Ms. was the first national American feminist magazine, and it is still published today. While there were other “women’s magazines” at the time, they mostly focused on women’s roles as wives and mothers. But Ms. took on issues that were highly controversial at the time, such as domestic abuse and same-sex relationships. It also provided useful information for women, such as lists of organizations providing day care or legal and medical aid.
Leaving a Legacy
In her later life, Steinem continued to campaign for women’ rights, along with other progressive causes, such as LGBTQ+ rights, and against war. She received many honors in recognition of her service, such as the United Nations’ Society of Writers Award, the National Gay Right Advocates, and even the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
She was a featured speaker in front of tens of thousands of demonstrators at the Women’s March on Washington in 2017. She has also published several books. Today, Gloria’s Foundation is an organization with the goal of preserving Gloria Steinem’s home in New York City as a permanent site and organizing hub for the feminist movement.