Gloria Steinem, the American feminist and journalist whose activism helped push through greater rights for women around the world, has died at the age of 92. Steinem "passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her," a statement shared on her Instagram page said. "Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end."
“"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."
Early Life and Career
Born in Ohio in 1934, Steinem grew up in a trailer home. Her mother’s mental illness left her struggling to hold onto work and in and out of sanatoriums. After her parents separated when she was 10, Steinem began to notice the hostility her mother endured as a working woman.
After graduating from a women’s liberal arts college in 1956, Steinem traveled to India for two years, where she worked as a legal clerk in the country’s supreme court. Upon returning to the U.S., she worked as the director of the Independent Research Service, a CIA front that recruited American students to disrupt Soviet-controlled World Youth Festivals.
In 1962, she received her first serious assignment in journalism from Esquire magazine editor Clay Felker. Her feature on contraception, "The Moral Disarmament of Betty Coed," detailed how women were forced to choose between careers and family.