Gloria Steinem, American writer and one of the most prominent activists for the reproductive and civil rights of women in the United States, died on Wednesday. She was 92.She died at her home in New York, her foundation said on social media. “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” it added.Steinem started as a journalist in the 1960s, writing a feature on contraception that detailed how women were forced to choose between motherhood and careers. She followed this with an expose on sexism faced by cocktail waitresses at nightclubs owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises.In 1971, she founded the Ms. magazine, a feminist publication that focused on problems faced by women.She had moved from writing to public speaking after 1969, when she attended a meeting where women spoke up about the experience of having abortions, reported AFP.
Play
Steinen had founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 with former US Representatives Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm and writer Betty Friedan.She had also set up the Coalition of Labor Union Women and the Women’s Media Center and founded Voters for Choice, which was aimed at promoting policies to maintain safe, legal and accessible abortion services for women.In the 1950s, Steinem lived in India for nearly two years, after graduating from college. During her time here, she worked as a clerk at the Supreme Court and helped women organise non-violent protests against government policies, according to media reports.In an interview in March 2011, Steinmen said that going to India early in life “helped her enormously” in learning about the intersection of culture and gender.In another interview in January 2014, she said that she considers India a second home and the country has “had a huge influence on her”.Her foundation said in a social media post on Thursday that Steinem spent her recent years “doing the two things she loved most: being in community with others and writing”.“In lieu of flowers, Gloria has asked that those wishing to honour her with a gift, may make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation,” it said.Written by Sneha. Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.Also read: Gloria Steinem (1934–2026): What we learnt from her 2015 memoir, ‘My Life on the Road’
