Gloria Steinem was an American journalist and activist who became the most recognized public face of second-wave feminism in the United States, first through her magazine writing in the 1960s and then through her role co-founding Ms. magazine in the early 1970s.
Over more than six decades, she moved from undercover reporting to organizing and public speaking to authorship, helping build institutions that outlasted the movement’s early years, including the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Media Center and the Ms. Foundation for Women. She died on September 2, 2026, at her home in New York City, at age 92.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Gloria Marie Steinem |
| Date of Birth | March 25, 1934 |
| Date of Death | September 2, 2026 |
| Age at Death | 92 |
| Birthplace | Toledo, Ohio, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Journalist, writer, editor, political activist |
| Education | Smith College (BA, 1956); Chester Bowles Fellowship, India |
| Spouse | David Bale (married 2000; he died 2003) |
| Known For | Co-founding Ms. magazine and leading second-wave feminism in the United States |
Early Life
Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, the second of two daughters of Leo Steinem, a traveling antiques dealer, and Ruth Nuneviller Steinem, a former newspaperwoman. For much of her early childhood the family traveled the country in a house trailer as her father bought and sold antiques, and she did not attend school on a regular, full-year basis until she was about twelve. Her paternal grandmother, Pauline Steinem, had chaired the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association in the early twentieth century, though Steinem said she had little exposure to that history as a child.
Her parents separated in the mid-1940s and later divorced. Steinem’s mother suffered from severe depression and related mental illness, and from about age ten Steinem took on much of the responsibility of caring for her, an experience she later said shaped her understanding of how women’s health and independence were dismissed. She spent her senior year of high school living with her older sister, Susanne, in Washington, D.C., attending Western High School.
Education
Steinem attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she was active in the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in government in 1956. After graduating, she received a Chester Bowles postgraduate fellowship to spend two years studying and writing in India, where she was influenced by Gandhian nonviolent organizing methods and participated in local protest activity.
Early Journalism Career
Steinem began working as a writer and journalist in New York City around 1960, at a time when women were largely confined to lighter feature assignments in the industry. She gained wide attention in 1963 for “I Was a Playboy Bunny,” an undercover feature for Show magazine in which she worked as a waitress at Hugh Hefner’s New York Playboy Club to expose its working conditions; the piece brought her notice but, by her own later account, did not help her gain respect as a serious journalist. In the late 1960s she helped launch New York magazine and wrote its “The City Politic” column on politics.
Turn Toward Feminism
Steinem’s shift toward feminist activism is generally traced to 1969, when she covered a public speak-out on abortion held by the radical feminist group the Redstockings for New York magazine. Hearing women speak openly about illegal abortions, including experiences similar to one she had kept private since having an illegal abortion in London at age 22, she later described the event as the beginning of her activism. She went on to publish the influential 1969 essay “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation,” which helped establish her as a national voice for the women’s movement.
Ms. Magazine and Organizing
In 1971 and 1972, Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine with journalists Patricia Carbine and Letty Cottin Pogrebin; it first appeared as an insert in New York magazine in December 1971 before launching as an independent, nationally circulated publication in 1972. Ms. became the first mainstream American magazine to cover politics, abortion rights, sexual harassment and domestic violence from an explicitly feminist perspective. Steinem wrote for and edited the magazine for the next fifteen years and remained associated with it afterward as a consulting editor.
Also in 1971, Steinem joined Bella Abzug, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm and others in founding the National Women’s Political Caucus, a bipartisan organization aimed at electing more women who supported gender equality to public office. She went on to co-found or help found several other organizations over her career, including the Women’s Action Alliance (1971), the Ms. Foundation for Women, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, and, in 2005, the Women’s Media Center with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan.
Writing and Later Media Work
Steinem authored a number of bestselling books, including “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions,” “Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem,” “Moving Beyond Words,” “Marilyn: Norma Jeane” (a study of Marilyn Monroe), and “My Life on the Road.” In 1993 she co-produced and narrated the HBO documentary “Multiple Personalities: The Search for Deadly Memories,” about child abuse, and later co-produced “Woman,” a 2016 series of documentaries on violence against women for Viceland. Her life was dramatized in Julie Taymor’s 2020 biopic “The Glorias.”
Awards and Recognition
- 1993 — Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
- 2013 — Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Barack Obama, for her women’s rights activism.
- 2014 — Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal.
- 2019 — Freedom Award, National Civil Rights Museum.
- 2021 — Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.
Over her career she also received the Penney-Missouri Journalism Award, National Magazine Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists’ Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award, and the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism, among other honors.
Personal Life
Steinem was long known for resisting marriage, which she described earlier in life as incompatible with her independence. In 2000, at age 66, she married David Bale, a South African-born entrepreneur and animal-rights activist and the father of actor Christian Bale, making Christian Bale her stepson. David Bale died in 2003. Steinem was arrested on at least two occasions for civil disobedience during protests, including outside the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., in 1984 during demonstrations against apartheid, and again in 2019 at a climate-change protest in Washington. She lived for decades in a brownstone in New York City, which in her later years became the site of “Talking Circles,” informal gatherings she hosted for activists and community members.
Death
Gloria Steinem died on September 2, 2026, at her home in New York City, surrounded by people close to her, according to a statement posted the following day on her official social media account. No cause of death was disclosed. Her death drew tributes from a broad range of public figures, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called her “our avatar of possibility,” and numerous other political leaders, activists and artists who credited her with expanding opportunities for women. A memoir, “An Unexpected Life,” had been scheduled for publication later in September 2026 at the time of her death.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Gloria Steinem?
Gloria Steinem was an American journalist, writer and activist who became the leading public face of second-wave feminism in the United States, best known for co-founding Ms. magazine.
What is Gloria Steinem known for?
She is best known for co-founding Ms. magazine in the early 1970s, for her early undercover journalism, and for decades of organizing and public advocacy for women’s rights, including abortion rights and equal political representation.
When did Gloria Steinem die?
She died on September 2, 2026, at her home in New York City, at age 92.
Did Gloria Steinem have children?
No. She did not have biological children, but became the stepmother of actor Christian Bale after marrying his father, David Bale, in 2000.
Conclusion
Gloria Steinem’s career spanned from undercover magazine journalism in the early 1960s to the founding of one of the most influential feminist publications in American history, and then to decades of organizing work that helped shape modern debates over reproductive rights, workplace equality and political representation. She remained publicly active into her nineties, continuing to write and host gatherings at her New York home until shortly before her death in September 2026.