Gloria Steinem, feminist icon and Ms Magazine co-founder, dies at 92

Gloria Steinem, writer, activist and Ms Magazine co-founder, died at her New York home aged 92. Her death closes a defining chapter in the modern movement for women's equality.Stock photo used for illustrationGloria Steinem, the author and activist who became one of the most visible faces and strongest voices of the US women's movement, has died at the age of 92. A co-founder of Ms Magazine, Steinem spent decades campaigning on feminist issues and remained active well into her later years.She died on Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to posts on her and her foundation's social media pages. The posts said, "Gloria's greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humour."With her streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, Steinem was a highly recognisable presence wherever she went. Much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centres, and taking part in rallies and marches. In recent years, the social media posts said, she enjoyed writing and spending time in the community, and hosted talking circles for hundreds of people in her home.In a 2015 interview with The Associated Press, she spoke about the importance of being physically present with others. "You can't do it on the phone or on the web," she said. "You have to be there with all five senses. It should be obvious that people can't empathise with each other unless we're in the same room." Steinem began her career as a journalist. In 1963, she notably reported on degrading conditions in Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire in an undercover assignment that she later came to regret. She said a meeting six years later, where women spoke out boldly for abortion rights, changed the direction of her life. "That speak-out was the beginning of activism for me," Steinem, who had undergone a secret illegal abortion at the age of 22, told the AP in an email in 2022 while reflecting on the reversal of Roe v Wade. "Either our control over our own bodies is equal, regardless of sex or race, or we're not living in a democracy."Although she went on to become a leading activist, Steinem said she had long struggled with a deep fear of public speaking. She said she would have preferred to stick to writing if editors had been willing to let her write about the women's movement. "So I ended up going out and speaking, which was my nightmare," she told the AP in 2015. "I mean, I was terrified. But I'm grateful, even though I still get scared even now." Time did little to slow her down. Well into her 80s, Steinem was travelling the world and speaking on issues she cared about, including genital mutilation and Korean reconciliation, although equality for women remained central to her work. "Being a feminist means that you see the world as whole instead of half," she once said. "It shouldn't need a name, and one day it won't."Her public presence continued over the years. At 83, she sat in the front row of her first fashion show as a guest of designer Prabal Gurung. A few days after her 85th birthday, she led a women's talking circle at an off-Broadway play celebrating her life, where women in the audience stood up, many in tears, to thank her and share their own experiences of discrimination. In 2020, her life was the subject of the feature film "The Glorias, A Life on The Road", based on her 2015 memoir and starring Julianne Moore. At 91, she collaborated with Liberian peace activist and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee on a picture book aimed at inspiring young people to change the world. "Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All" was published in February 2026.Steinem's death marks the end of a public life that spanned journalism, activism and writing. From her early reporting to her decades-long campaign for women's equality, and through her continued public engagement in later life, she remained a central figure in the movement she helped shape.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 3, 2026 16:20 IST