Gloria Steinem, the influential journalist and political activist who became one of the most recognizable leaders of the American feminist movement, has died at 92.
Steinem died Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to an announcement posted Thursday by her foundation and official social media accounts. The statement said she was surrounded by loved ones and had continued her advocacy work until the end of her life.
The news was also announced on social media, where Steinem’s representatives reflected on her nearly century-long life. A related X post circulated Thursday following the announcement.
No cause of death was immediately disclosed. Steinem died peacefully at her residence, according to the announcement.
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” the statement said. It added that Steinem maintained her “independent spirit” along with her curiosity and sense of humor throughout her life.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934, Steinem emerged as a major figure in second-wave feminism and spent decades combining journalism with political organizing and activism.
Her journalism career attracted national attention in 1963 after she went undercover inside Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire to document the working conditions experienced by Playboy Club employees.
Six years later, Steinem attended an event where women publicly discussed their experiences with abortion. She later identified the gathering as a pivotal moment that pushed her more deeply into political activism.
Steinem had undergone an illegal abortion herself at 22 and eventually became one of the country’s most prominent abortion-rights advocates.
“That speak-out was the beginning of activism for me,” Steinem told the Associated Press in 2022 while discussing the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Her advocacy eventually expanded well beyond abortion politics.
Steinem helped establish the National Women’s Political Caucus and co-founded organizations including the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Women’s Media Center. She also became closely associated with Ms. magazine, which launched in the early 1970s and became an influential publication within the feminist movement.
Her political activism also included a lengthy role with Voters for Choice, a political action committee supporting abortion rights.
Steinem served as the organization’s president and co-founder for 25 years before it merged with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund ahead of the 2004 election cycle.
The longtime activist became an influential figure on the political left while drawing sustained criticism from conservatives over her positions on abortion, gender politics and feminism.
Her influence was recognized at the White House in 2013, when then-President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She later received the National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Award in 2019.
Steinem remained politically and socially active well into old age, traveling internationally and speaking about issues ranging from women’s equality to female genital mutilation and Korean reconciliation.
Her work also extended into publishing. Steinem authored several books during her career, including “My Life on the Road,” “Revolution from Within” and “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions.”
At 91, she collaborated with Liberian peace activist and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee on the children’s book “Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All,” which was published in February.
Steinem married businessman and animal-rights activist David Bale, father of actor Christian Bale, in 2000. Bale died three years later from brain lymphoma.
Her life and career were also portrayed on screen. The 2020 film “The Glorias,” starring Julianne Moore, was based on Steinem’s memoir and chronicled different periods of her life.
Steinem remained engaged in writing during her final years, and the Associated Press reported that another memoir had been completed before her death and was scheduled for publication this fall, per Trending Politics.
Her death closes a career spanning more than six decades in which Steinem became a defining figure in American feminism, reproductive-rights activism and progressive politics.
