Gloria Steinem, Feminist Icon And Ms Magazine Co-Founder, Dies At 92

New York, September 3, 2026: Gloria Steinem, the celebrated author, activist and co-founder of Ms Magazine who became one of the most recognisable figures of the US women's movement, has died at the age of 92.

Steinem, known for her streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, remained a prominent advocate for feminist causes throughout her life. Much of her work took her across the country and beyond, speaking at college campuses and community centres and participating in rallies and marches.

She died on Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to posts on her and her foundation's social media pages.

“Gloria's greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” the posts said. “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.”

In recent years, Steinem continued writing and spending time in the community. She also hosted talking circles for hundreds of people at her home.

“You can't do it on the phone or on the web,” she told The Associated Press in a 2015 interview. “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.”

Journalism Led Her To Activism

Steinem began her career as a journalist. In 1963, she went undercover to report on degrading conditions in Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire, an assignment she later regretted.

She credited a meeting six years later, where women spoke openly in favour of abortion rights, with changing the direction of her career.

“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.”

Despite becoming a prominent activist, Steinem had to overcome a deep fear of public speaking. She said she would have preferred to continue writing had editors at the time been willing to let her cover the women's movement.

But they were not interested, she told the AP in 2015. “So I ended up going out and speaking, which was my nightmare,” she said. “I mean, I was terrified. But I'm grateful, even though I still get scared even now.”

Equality For Women Remained Her Central Cause

Age did little to slow Steinem. Well into her 80s, she continued travelling around the world and speaking on issues ranging from genital mutilation to Korean reconciliation, though equality for women remained her central cause.

“Being a feminist means that you see the world as a whole instead of half,” she once said. “It shouldn't need a name, and one day it won't.”

Steinem remained a highly visible public figure in her later years. At 83, she attended her first fashion show, sitting in the front row 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. Women in the audience, many fighting tears, stood one by one to thank her and share their experiences of discrimination.

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Films And Books Carried Her Story

In 2020, Steinem's life became 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 intended to inspire young people to change the world.

Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All was published in February 2026.

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