Gloria Steinem, a pioneering journalist and activist who became one of the most recognizable faces of the women’s liberation movement, died on September 2 at the age of 92. For over five decades, she served as a vocal champion for women and girls, co-founding Ms. magazine in 1971 as the first national publication dedicated to feminist perspectives.
Steinem also helped establish the National Women’s Political Caucus the same year, an organization that lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment and encouraged greater female participation in public office. Her work as an early contributor to New York magazine and her subsequent activism cemented her status as a central figure in the fight for gender equity.
In her later years, Steinem reflected on finding freedom from societal gender expectations. In a 2015 interview with Fresh Air, she noted that while adolescence often imposes strict gender roles, reaching the age of 60 can offer a return to independence. “Ironically, I found by 60 you’re free again,” she said. “So you’re the same person you were at 9 or 10, only now you have your own apartment… So you can do what you want.”
Steinem remained actively engaged with pressing political and social issues throughout her life. She frequently identified violence against women and reproductive rights as critical concerns. Emphasizing bodily autonomy, she stated, “The definition of patriarchy is to be able to control reproduction, and that means you have to control women’s bodies.”
Her path to activism was influenced by personal experience. Steinem revealed that she had sought an illegal abortion at age 22, resorting to dangerous methods such as horseback riding and falling down stairs out of desperation. It was not until she attended an abortion speak-out in New York City, where other women shared their stories, that she felt empowered to speak publicly about her own experience.
Reflecting on aging, Steinem admitted she had initially feared the later stages of life due to a lack of role models. However, she eventually embraced this new phase, citing writer Carolyn Heilbrun’s idea that women often find their true selves after 50. She described this period as a time to shed previous burdens and become more authentic.
Steinem’s 2005 essay for the “This I Believe” series captured her philosophy on individuality: “I believe that a unique core self is born into every human being — the result of millennia of environment and heredity combined in an unpredictable way that could never happen before or again.”
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