Gloria Steinem facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Gloria Steinem
Steinem in 1977
Born	Gloria Marie Steinem (1934-03-25)March 25, 1934 Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Died	September 2, 2026(2026-09-02) (aged 92) New York City, U.S.
Education	Smith College (BA)
Occupation	Writer, journalist, and social activist
Movement	Feminism
Board member of	Women's Media Center
Spouse(s)	David Bale (m. 2000; died 2003)
Relatives	Christian Bale (stepson)
Signature

Gloria Marie Steinem (March 25, 1934 – September 2, 2026) was an American writer, journalist, and civil rights leader. She became nationally famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a major leader of the feminist movement in the United States.

Steinem spent decades campaigning for equal rights, fairness, and opportunities for women. She co-founded the groundbreaking feminist publication Ms. magazine in 1972. She also helped start influential political groups such as the National Women's Political Caucus and the Women's Action Alliance.

Throughout her long career, Steinem traveled across the United States and the world. She gave inspiring speeches, organized community projects, and helped start events like Take Our Daughters to Work Day. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for her dedicated public service.

Early life and education of Gloria Steinem

Gloria Marie Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Her mother, Ruth Nuneviller, was a former journalist and teacher. Her father, Leo Steinem, worked as a traveling antiques dealer.

Gloria came from a family with a strong history of public service. Her paternal grandmother, Pauline Perlmutter Steinem, was an early suffragist who fought for women's right to vote. She was the first woman elected to the Toledo Board of Education.

Growing up on the road

During Gloria's early childhood, her family lived and traveled in a house trailer across the country. Her father bought and sold antiques wherever they stopped. Because of this traveling lifestyle, Gloria did not attend school regularly until she was about ten years old.

Her mother struggled with severe chronic mental illness. When Gloria was ten years old, her parents separated. Her father moved to California to search for work, while Gloria stayed in Toledo to take care of her mother.

Caring for her mother taught Gloria resilience from a very young age. She noticed how hard it was for women with illnesses to find proper support. She also observed how difficult it was for women to earn fair wages in the workforce.

High school and university years

Steinem at Waite High School in 1951

Gloria attended Waite High School in Toledo and later moved to Washington, D.C., to live with her sister Susanne. She graduated from Western High School in 1952.

After high school, Steinem enrolled at Smith College, a prestigious women's college in Massachusetts. She excelled in government studies and international relations. She graduated magna cum laude in 1956.

Fellowship in India

After graduating from college, Steinem won a fellowship to live and study in India for two years. During this time, she learned about the peaceful protest methods developed by Mahatma Gandhi.

Steinem was deeply inspired by how ordinary people could unite peacefully to create massive social change. She later used these grassroots organizing techniques in her American activism.

Breakthrough career in journalism and media

When Steinem returned to the United States, she pursued her dream of becoming a professional writer in New York City. At the time, female journalists were usually assigned only light lifestyle topics. Steinem was determined to cover serious political and social topics.

Investigative reporting and early articles

In 1962, Steinem wrote an influential article for Esquire magazine discussing how women were pressured to choose between professional careers and family life. This piece appeared right before the modern women's movement began to grow rapidly.

In 1963, she wrote a famous undercover investigative report about the poor working conditions and unfair treatment of employees at private clubs. Her story revealed how workers were treated unfairly and led to policy reforms by the club owners.

Steinem continued writing freelance articles for magazines and television programs, including NBC's weekly political satire show That Was The Week That Was. In 1968, she helped launch New York magazine, where she wrote regular political columns.

Founding Ms. magazine in 1972

The first issue of Ms., released in 1972

In 1972, Steinem and several other female journalists founded Ms. magazine. It was the first national American magazine owned, operated, and written by women to address serious feminist topics.

The first test issue of the magazine sold all 300,000 copies nationwide in only eight days. The editors received thousands of letters from readers who were eager to read about women's rights, workplace fairness, and civil liberties.

Steinem worked as an editor and writer for the publication for many years. The magazine became a major voice for equality, showing that women were interested in serious social, political, and cultural discussions.

Major leadership in the feminist movement

By the early 1970s, Steinem had become one of the most visible public speakers and organizers in the women's rights movement. She worked tirelessly to ensure that women had equal protection under the law.

The Equal Rights Amendment campaign

Steinem at the LBJ Library in 1975

Gloria Steinem in 1977, photographed by Lynn Gilbert

Steinem was an outspoken advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This proposed amendment to the United States Constitution aimed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of gender.

In 1970, Steinem testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. She delivered a clear, powerful speech on why legal equality was essential for democracy. She argued that fairness benefits everyone in society, not just women.

Creating political advocacy organizations

Steinem believed that lasting change required women to hold public office. On July 10, 1971, she joined over three hundred women leaders to found the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC). Co-founders included prominent leaders such as Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan.

The Caucus trained and supported women running for elected political positions across the United States. In her famous address to the caucus, Steinem declared that creating equal opportunities for all people was essential to building a just society.

In that same year, Steinem helped establish the Women's Action Alliance. This organization coordinated grassroots projects, promoted equal education for girls, and supported community initiatives nationwide.

Bringing Wonder Woman back to comic books

Steinem was an avid fan of comic books when she was a child. In 1972, she noticed that the comic book character Wonder Woman had lost her superpowers in recent stories.

Steinem put Wonder Woman on the very first cover of Ms. magazine and wrote an essay celebrating the character's strength and positive message. Her efforts helped convince DC Comics to restore Wonder Woman's classic superpowers and iconic costume in 1973.

Global activism and human rights work

Beyond her work in the United States, Steinem was an active campaigner for international peace and human rights. She traveled to dozens of countries to support local women's groups and global education programs.

International peace walk across the Korean DMZ

At the Women's Action Alliance news conference, January 1972

In May 2015, Steinem joined an international delegation of thirty women peace activists from fifteen countries. The group included Nobel Peace Prize laureates Mairead Maguire and Leymah Gbowee.

The delegation walked across the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North Korea and South Korea. Their goal was to promote peaceful communication, family reunifications, and a formal end to decades of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Global human rights partnerships

Steinem worked closely with international human rights organizations. She served on the advisory board of Apne Aap Women Worldwide, an organization founded by Ruchira Gupta to protect vulnerable young people and end human trafficking in India.

She also helped launch the Frontline Women's Fund with the Sisterhood Is Global Institute. This program provided direct financial grants and training to community organizers in thirteen different countries.

Political involvement and public speeches

Steinem participated actively in American presidential elections and public policy debates throughout her lifetime. She believed that voting and political participation were civic duties.

Presidential campaigns

Steinem speaking with supporters at the Women Together Arizona Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, September 2016

Steinem supported several notable political campaigns over the decades:

In 1968 and 1972, she campaigned for anti-war candidate George McGovern.
In 1972, she worked on the historic presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American major-party candidate for president.
In 2008 and 2016, she actively endorsed and campaigned for Hillary Clinton.

Steinem was an honorary co-chair and featured speaker at the Women's March on Washington in January 2017, which drew hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators to the nation's capital.

Promoting accessible ideas

Steinem at the LBJ Library in 2019

Steinem believed that political and philosophical ideas should be written in clear, simple language so that everyone could understand them. She often spoke out against using overly complex academic jargon.

She argued that knowledge is most helpful when it is accessible to ordinary citizens, students, and community leaders.

Personal life and later years

In September 2000, at age 66, Steinem married environmental activist David Bale. The ceremony was held at the home of her close friend Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Through this marriage, Steinem became the stepmother to Bale's four adult children, including actor Christian Bale. The couple was married until David Bale passed away in December 2003.

Steinem lived in a historic brownstone apartment in New York City for six decades. On her 87th birthday, Google Arts & Culture created a virtual interactive tour of her home and personal library to honor her contributions to American culture.

Death

Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in Manhattan, New York City, on September 2, 2026, at the age of 92.

Legacy and historical impact

Following her passing, historians and public leaders around the world celebrated Steinem's historic impact on human rights and equal opportunity.

Major news organizations described her as one of the most important civil rights voices of the 20th and 21st centuries. Leaders praised her ability to bring diverse groups of people together to solve complex social problems peacefully.

Her extensive collection of personal papers, speeches, and correspondence is preserved in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College for future generations of students and researchers.

Major awards and honors

FAO CERES Steinem Silver Medal

Steinem received numerous national and international awards for her lifetime of writing and community organizing:

Presidential Medal of Freedom (2013): The highest civilian honor in the United States, presented by President Barack Obama.
National Women's Hall of Fame (1993): Inducted for her leadership in women's rights and journalism.
Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (2021): One of Spain's highest international honors.
Ban Ki-moon Award for Women's Empowerment (2017): Awarded for global human rights leadership.
Honorary Doctorate from Yale University (2019): Conferred for outstanding contributions to education and public service.
Humanist of the Year (2012): Awarded by the American Humanist Association.
Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair (2014): Established at Rutgers University to support research in media and equality.

Selected published books

The Thousand Indias (1957)
The Beach Book (1963)
Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983)
Marilyn: Norma Jean (1986)
Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem (1992)
Moving Beyond Words (1993)
Doing Sixty & Seventy (2006)
As If Women Matter (2014)
My Life on the Road (2015)
An Unexpected Life (2026)

Images for kids

Gloria Steinem and author Alice Walker on the cover of Ms. magazine in 2009
Gloria Steinem speaking at a public event in 2016