Gloria Steinem, a leader in the fight for women's rights and equality in the United States for over half a century, has died at the age of 92, as many prominent figures have expressed their condolences.
Foreign news agencies reported that Gloria Steinem, a leader of the women's liberation movement in the United States and an advocate for women's rights for more than fifty years, died at age 92. Her foundation posted on Instagram that Steinem "passed away peacefully" at her home in New York City last Wednesday (2 Sep 2026) "surrounded by many loved ones."
Steinem, both a writer and magazine editor, co-founded the Women's Action Alliance (WAA), an organization dedicated to fighting gender discrimination for over 50 years.
She began her career as a journalist in New York and later co-founded Ms. magazine, one of the first publications focusing on women's issues beyond domestic chores and beauty.
In the 1970s, Steinem was a key advocate for women's reproductive rights and other causes. She herself had an illegal abortion in London at age 22 and later celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Nearly fifty years later, she testified against the overturning of that ruling.
She also supported legalizing same-sex marriage, equal rights and pay for women, as well as protests against the death penalty and female genital mutilation.
Steinem was born on 25 March 1934 in Toledo, Ohio. She had a difficult childhood and did not attend school full-time until she was 12 years old.
After graduating university in the late 1950s, she traveled to India on a research scholarship, spending two years in various roles, including helping village women organize peaceful protests against government policies, which sparked her interest in grassroots activism.
She then moved to New York City in the early 1960s to start a freelance writing career and experienced a turning point when she wrote an exposé on the working conditions of Playboy Bunnies before becoming a columnist for New York Magazine and founding Ms. magazine in 1972.
Steinem married David Bale, a South African businessman and environmentalist and father of actor Christian Bale, in 2000. David Bale died three years later from brain lymphoma.
In 2013, then-U.S. President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Steinem's foundation stated, "She continued working for equality until the very end."
"Gloria's greatest gift was her ability to listen to others and make them feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people the freedom to truly be themselves. Gloria lived faithfully to the spirit of freedom with curiosity and a wonderful sense of humor," the foundation said.
The foundation added that in her later years, Steinem lived closely with community and writing, hosting guests at her home for “Talking Circles,” a discussion tradition that will continue.
After news of Steinem's death was announced, many people expressed their condolences. Writers and women's rights activists shared their thoughts on Instagram, with some saying she changed their lives.
Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry of the United Kingdom, also paid tribute by posting a photo of the two together on Instagram with the caption, "You all know her many honors and how she helped move the world for women and everyone."
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate, said Steinem was "one of the architects of the entire structure of women's equality, breaking down barriers so young women could participate where their talents and efforts lead them."
"Gloria was an optimist," Clinton told CBS Mornings on Thursday. "Her movement was grounded in optimism, and that was the moral choice, which she chose every single day."
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Source:bbc