Gloria Steinem, Trailblazing Feminist Leader and Writer, Dies at 92

Gloria Steinem spent nearly a century challenging the status quo, asking tough questions, and encouraging generations of women to find their voices. From groundbreaking journalism to leading one of the most influential social movements in modern history, she remained a force for change until the end.

Steinem, the longtime feminist activist and writer, has died at 92.

A joint post shared on Steinem’s Instagram with Gloria’s Foundation confirmed that the women's liberation leader “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.” Steinem died on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the post continued, in part. “She spent her recent years doing the two things she loved most: being in community with others and writing.”

“In lieu of flowers, Gloria has asked that those wishing to honor her with a gift, may make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation,” the post concluded.

Steinem dedicated her life to social and political change. Beginning in the 1960s, she built a career highlighting issues such as sexuality, reproductive rights, and workplace equality through her reporting and advocacy.

Alongside writing for New York magazine, she cofounded Ms. magazine and helped launch organizations including the Women’s Action Alliance and the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Born on March 25, 1934, Steinem witnessed the effects of sexism and inequality at a young age. After her parents divorced, she helped care for her mother, Ruth Steinem, whose struggles with mental illness deeply influenced her daughter's understanding of social justice.

In her 2015 memoir My Life on the Road, Steinem reflected on that experience, writing: “My mother paid a high price for caring so much, yet being able to do so little about it. In this way, she led me toward an activist place where she herself could never go.”

After graduating from Smith College in 1956, Steinem moved to New York City to pursue journalism.

Her first major article, “The Moral Disarmament of Betty Coed,” appeared in Esquire in 1962 and examined changing attitudes toward contraception as birth control became more widely available to young women.

A year later, she published “I Was a Playboy Bunny” for Show magazine. Going undercover at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club, Steinem documented the treatment of women working within the organization. The story generated intense controversy at the time and temporarily made it more difficult for her to find work, but it later came to be regarded as one of her most influential pieces.

Five years later, while contributing a political column to New York magazine, Steinem attended a speak-out event in New York City where women publicly shared experiences involving abortion and healthcare access.

She later described the gathering as the “big click” moment that solidified her commitment to feminism.

“There was something about seeing women tell the truth about their lives in public and seeing women take seriously something that only happens to women. In my experience, things were only taken seriously if they also happened to men,” she reflected in the magazine's 30th anniversary edition.

In 1972, Steinem cofounded Ms., the first American feminist magazine, and served as an editor for 15 years. She also helped establish organizations including the Coalition of Labor Union Women and the Women’s Media Center.

Jane Fonda, who cofounded the Women’s Media Center with Steinem and Robin Morgan, praised her longtime friend in a 2024 interview with PEOPLE.

“[Steinem is] like a piece of history. And she’s framed the future, and it’s utterly inspirational. Her view of what needs to happen is unique and motivational and inspiring, and I love her dearly,” Fonda said.

Steinem was also a vocal supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and testified before the United States Senate in support of it on May 6, 1970.

Her influence later reached popular culture through projects including the FX miniseries Mrs. America, where Rose Byrne portrayed her, and the 2020 biopic The Glorias, which featured Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander portraying Steinem at different stages of her life.

Steinem's advocacy extended beyond women's rights. She frequently spoke about LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality, and the connections between different forms of discrimination.

“The one thing that alarms me is when people think there is such a thing as White feminism. Because if it’s White, it’s not feminism — by definition, it includes all women,” she told Vice in 2017.

In her 2019 book The Truth Will Set You Free But First It’ll Piss You Off!: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, she reflected on the evolution of feminist movements, particularly during the #MeToo era.

“Recently,” she wrote, “women have begun to feel OK about coming forward to say that our bodies belong to ourselves. We have yet to explain that there’s no democracy without power over our own bodies.”

Her final memoir, An Unexpected Life, is scheduled for release on Sept. 28, 2026. According to the book’s official description, the memoir sees Steinem “reflects on the unlikely experiences and pivotal moments—from a childhood rat bite that opened her eyes to the dangers of poverty to the 1970 Women’s March honoring the right to vote—that shaped the visionary woman she would become.”

In 2013, former President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing her decades of advocacy and public service.

“She’s been called a ‘champion noticer.’ She’s alert to all the ways, large and small, that women had been and, in some cases, continue to be treated unfairly just because they’re women,” President Obama said during the ceremony.

In later years, Steinem also formed a friendship and working partnership with Meghan Markle. After Meghan and Prince Harry moved to California, the pair worked together on a 2020 voter engagement campaign.

Though Steinem once famously questioned the institution of marriage, she married British businessman and environmentalist David Bale, the father of actor Christian Bale, in 2000. The couple remained together until his death from brain lymphoma in 2003.

Steinem was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Leo Steinem; her sister, Susanne Steinem Patch; and her husband.

Her death marks the end of an extraordinary life, but her influence on journalism, activism, and the fight for equality will continue to be felt for generations.