American feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem, who became one of the most recognizable figures of the women’s liberation movement in the United States, has died at the age of 92.
Steinem died on Wednesday at her home in New York City, her foundation announced on Thursday. A statement posted by the foundation said she “passed away peacefully” surrounded by people who loved her. No cause of death was disclosed.
For more than five decades, Steinem was a prominent advocate for gender equality, reproductive rights and greater political and economic opportunities for women.
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She began her career as a journalist and became known for reporting on issues affecting women at a time when the subject received relatively little attention from mainstream American media. Her journalism included an undercover investigation into working conditions at the Playboy Club, an experience that later became one of the notable episodes of her early career.
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Steinem later became one of the leading voices of the second-wave feminist movement that transformed debates about women’s rights in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.
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In 1972, she co-founded Ms. magazine, which became an influential publication focused on women’s rights, politics, equality and social issues. The magazine provided a major platform for discussions about subjects that had often been treated as private or secondary to mainstream political debate.
She also co-founded the Women’s Action Alliance, an organisation dedicated to challenging sexism, and remained involved in campaigns supporting women’s political participation and reproductive freedom.
Steinem was a strong supporter of abortion rights and celebrated the US Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v Wade, which recognised a constitutional right to abortion. Decades later, she witnessed the reversal of that ruling when the Supreme Court overturned it in 2022.
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Her activism extended beyond reproductive rights. She campaigned for voting rights, encouraged women to seek political office and advocated for greater representation of women in the media and other areas of public life.
One of the initiatives associated with the Ms. Foundation for Women was Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which was designed to encourage young girls to consider a broader range of educational and professional opportunities and challenge traditional gender stereotypes. The initiative eventually became a widely recognised event.
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Despite becoming an international symbol of feminism, Steinem’s career was not without controversy. Her public positions and activism frequently attracted criticism from opponents of the women’s movement, while debates within feminism also challenged some of her views and approaches.
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Nevertheless, she remained active well into her later years. Recent accounts said she continued writing, speaking and participating in conversations about equality.
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Her death comes shortly before the planned publication of her final memoir, “An Unexpected Life,” which is scheduled for release later this month.
Steinem’s death has prompted tributes across the United States and beyond, with commentators reflecting on the lasting influence of a woman who helped move gender equality from the margins of American public debate into the centre of politics and popular culture.
She leaves behind a legacy spanning journalism, publishing and decades of activism, with her work continuing to influence discussions about women’s rights and equality.