Gloria Steinem (1934-2026)
Gloria Steinem, a pioneering feminist writer and thinker, and a leading activist of second-wave feminism, has died in New York at the age of 92.
Born in 1934 in Toledo, Ohio, Gloria Steinem established her reputation as a pioneering feminist journalist in the 1960s, writing on everything from the exploitative working conditions of Playboy Bunnies – taking a job as one in order to write more authentically about the realities – to women’s right to abortion. Her writing led her into the world of feminist activism, and she came to national attention in the United States for her famed piece ‘After Black Power, Women's Liberation’, published in 1969.
After the publication of this article, Steinem continued to become more involved in the political pursuit of feminism, and was one of the founding members of the National Women’s Political Caucus, which supports women candidates for elected and appointed office roles in public office.
Gloria spoke and campaigned widely on a number of social issues, including women’s reproductive rights, equal rights and pay for women and the legalisation of same sex marriage. She protested the death penalty and female genital mutilation. In 1984 she was arrested for disorderly conduct when protesting South Africa’s policy of apartheid outside their embassy.
Over the decades, Steinem had transformed her New York home into the base for Gloria’s Foundation, a permanent site for the feminist movement that welcomes international organisers from all walks of life and offers them ‘a safe space to work and rest’. It was Gloria’s enduring wish that her home would continue to be a sanctuary for those fighting for the rights of women everywhere. With Gloria’s Foundation, and her wider body of work, she leaves a legacy that will endure for many years to come.
As a writer, Steinem was known for her vivid, warm and courageous voice, and published a number of bestselling books, including My Life on the Road, Revolution From Within, and The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!. At the time of her death, she had just completed her final memoir An Unexpected Life, in which she writes on her childhood and the formative experiences that shaped her, as well as her hopes for the future of activism.
‘Her warmth and humour, skilfully deployed even in the most combative of situations, spoke to women (and men!) from all walks of life and made her one of the most powerful voices for change in her lifetime’ said Robyn Drury, Publishing Director at Ebury, Penguin Random House UK.
An Unexpected Life will be published on 22 September.