Gloria Steinem, the journalist and feminist pioneer who became one of the most recognisable figures in the women’s liberation movement, has died aged 92.
Her foundation announced on Thursday that she had died at her home in New York City. It said she had “passed away peacefully” surrounded by loved ones. No cause of death was given.
Steinem helped shape the modern campaign for gender equality through her writing, activism and political organising. She challenged the idea that issues affecting women belonged outside mainstream debates about politics, work, war and social justice.
Gloria Steinem’s role in the women’s liberation movement
She was a co-founder of Ms. magazine, which became a major platform for women writers and a prominent voice on equality, reproductive rights, domestic violence and representation in the media.
Steinem also helped establish the Ms. Foundation for Women, the National Women’s Political Caucus and the Women’s Action Alliance. Her work supported women seeking public office and backed grassroots campaigns focused on economic justice and safety.
One initiative associated with the Ms. Foundation, Take Our Daughters to Work Day, later expanded to include sons and became an international effort to challenge gender stereotypes and widen opportunities for children.
Her influence extended beyond journalism and campaigning. In 2004, she co-founded the Women’s Media Center with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan, while her books and public speaking made her a leading advocate for women’s rights for more than six decades.
Steinem received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013 and the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in 2019.
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton paid tribute to Steinem on Thursday, describing her as “one of the architects of the entire structure of women’s equality”.
Steinem continued to speak and work on equality issues into her later years, remaining a defining figure in American feminism and the wider fight for equal rights.
