Journalist And Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem Dead At 92 

Journalist, activist, and feminist icon Gloria Steinem died in her home on Wednesday at the age of 92. 

The New York Times reports that her death was announced in a social media post, though no cause of death was given. The post said that she “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.” 

Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, Gloria Steinem had an unusual childhood. After spending her early childhood traveling throughout the Midwest with her parents, she began living with her mom at age 10 after her parents divorced. Her relationship with her mother was instrumental in her advocacy for women’s voices. 

Steinem’s mother suffered from severe mental health issues, and Steinem witnessed how doctors completely dismissed her mother’s needs. Seeing how easily her mother was dismissed when she needed help inspired Steinem to advocate for women. During her teenage years, Steinem was forced to care for her mother as her health declined, and this experience deterred her from having children of her own. 

“I’d already been the very small parent of a very big child — my mother,” she told People magazine in 1992. “I didn’t want to end up taking care of someone else.”

In 1956, Steinem graduated from the all-women’s liberal arts school Smith College with a degree in government. Despite her degree, Steinem never had an interest in serving in politics. Shortly after graduating, Steinem traveled to London at age 22 when she discovered she had an unwanted pregnancy. While abortion was not commonly practiced in those days, a doctor recommended Steinem visit a woman who was secretly performing the operation. 

While she didn’t publicly reveal she had an abortion until 1969, the experience made her a passionate advocate for reproductive rights. Steinem dedicated her 2015 memoir, “My Life on the Road,” to the doctor who gave her the abortion referral. 

Steinem gained national recognition in 1963 after she published an expose on the working conditions for Playboy bunnies. She created a fake identity, applied for a job as a Playboy bunny, and worked for several weeks to write the piece. She used the recognition she gained from the piece to start Ms. magazine in 1971, the first magazine created, owned, and operated entirely by women. 

Steinem also used her platform to advocate causes she believed in and enact real change. In 1971, she helped cofound the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 to increase the number of female legislators in Congress.

Gloria Steinem never stopped writing and advocating for women, even in her final years. Her latest memoir, “An Unexpected Life,” will be published later this month. As news of her death spread, countless women have spoken out about the impact Gloria Steinem’s work had on their lives. 

“Gloria Steinem was a trailblazer and a giant of the women’s movement. The impact of her loss is immense,” New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote in a social media post. “I join her family, loved ones, and all those touched by her work in mourning her passing.”

“She pushed open doors not just for herself, but for literally millions of women behind her. She wasn’t going to be an astronaut, but my goodness, she made it possible for Sally Ride to be an astronaut,” former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on social media. “ Even though we’ve faced setbacks to women’s full participation and equality in America and around the world, I want Gloria’s voice to remain in our heads.”

“Gloria was one of a kind. Genuine, generous, curious, thoughtful. She lived a staggering life and her passing is a staggering loss tempered only by the ferocity of her legacy,” writer Roxane Gay said on Instagram.

Steinem spent her entire life working to improve the lives of women of all shapes and ethnicities. At a time when flagrant misogyny is being amplified for likes on social media, and the federal government is actively trying to make life worse for anyone not a straight, white male, we could do well to learn from the example set by Gloria Steinem. 

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