Gloria Steinem, the American journalist, author and feminist activist who became one of the most prominent figures in the women’s movement in the United States, has died at the age of 92.
Steinem died on September 2, 2026, at her home in New York City, according to a statement shared by her foundation. The statement said she died peacefully surrounded by people who loved her. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, Steinem studied government at Smith College in Massachusetts and graduated magna cum laude in 1956. After college, she spent two years in India on a Chester Bowles Fellowship, an experience that influenced her later interest in grassroots organizing and social activism.
Steinem began her professional career as a journalist and gained national attention through her reporting on women’s experiences and workplace discrimination. In 1963, she went undercover to investigate working conditions at the Playboy Club. Her article, later known as “A Bunny’s Tale,” examined the treatment and working conditions of women employed as Playboy Bunnies and helped establish her reputation as an investigative journalist.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, Steinem became a leading figure in the second-wave feminist movement in the United States. Her activism focused on gender equality and included campaigns concerning reproductive rights, political participation and women’s rights. Her public profile grew through speeches, writing and appearances at rallies, college campuses and community events across the country.
Steinem was also instrumental in creating organizations that became important parts of the American feminist movement. She was a co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus, an organization established in 1971 to increase women’s participation in political life. She also helped establish the Ms. Foundation for Women and other organizations supporting women’s rights and equality.
One of her most significant contributions to feminist media came through Ms. magazine. Steinem was among the publication’s founders, helping create a magazine that placed women’s rights and feminist issues at the center of its editorial coverage. Ms. became an influential publication within the women’s movement and provided a platform for discussions about gender, politics, work and equality.
Steinem’s advocacy extended beyond journalism. She spoke publicly about reproductive rights after covering an abortion speak-out in 1969 and later became a prominent advocate for abortion rights. She also addressed issues involving discrimination, civil rights and women’s political representation.
Her work received major national recognition. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor.
Steinem continued writing and participating in activism well into her later years. Her 2015 memoir, My Life on the Road, chronicled her experiences traveling throughout the United States and meeting people involved in social and political movements. According to the Associated Press, she had also recently completed another memoir that is scheduled for publication later this year.
Following news of her death, tributes came from prominent figures including Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Jill Biden and Melinda French Gates. They highlighted Steinem’s influence on generations of women and her decades of advocacy for equality and women’s rights.
Steinem’s death marks the passing of one of the most recognizable figures of the modern American feminist movement. Through journalism, political organizing, writing and public advocacy, she spent more than five decades campaigning for gender equality and women’s civil and reproductive rights.
