Gloria Steinem, Journalist and Feminist Activist, Dead at 92

(Kamran Jebreili/AP photo)

Gloria Steinem, the veteran journalist and activist who became one of the most recognizable leaders of the U.S. women’s liberation movement, has died at the age of 92.

Steinem died Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to a statement posted to her official Instagram account on Thursday. No cause of death was given.

“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the statement read, adding that she “lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”

(Screengrab via Instagram)

Over a career spanning more than six decades, Steinem became a leading advocate for reproductive rights, workplace equality and greater political representation for women, helping propel second-wave feminism into the center of American political and cultural life.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934, Steinem graduated from Smith College with a degree in government before moving into journalism. She first gained national attention in 1963 after going undercover as a Playboy Bunny for an exposé detailing working conditions at the Playboy Club.

Steinem became a founding editor and political columnist at New York magazine in 1968. Her article “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation,” published the following year, helped establish her as a prominent voice in the burgeoning feminist movement.

She co-founded Ms. magazine in 1971, with the publication becoming an influential platform for issues including abortion rights, domestic violence and discrimination against women.

Steinem also took her activism directly into politics, co-founding the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 to increase the number of women holding elected office.

Her own experience with abortion shaped much of that advocacy. Steinem underwent the procedure in Britain at 22, when abortion was illegal, and later became a vocal campaigner for reproductive freedom.

Former President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, describing her work as helping to drive “lasting political and social change in America and abroad.”

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