Gloria Steinem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gloria Steinem
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Steinem in 2016
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Gloria Marie Steinem
March 25, 1934 Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
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| Education | Smith College (BA) |
| Occupation | Writer and journalist for Ms. and New York magazines |
| Movement | Feminism |
| Board member of | Women's Media Center |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Relatives | Christian Bale (stepson) |
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Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American writer and activist. She became a well-known leader of the women's rights movement in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This period is often called "second-wave feminism."
Steinem wrote for New York magazine. She also helped start Ms. magazine. In 1969, she wrote an article called "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." This article made her famous as a leader for women's rights.
In 1971, she helped create the National Women's Political Caucus. This group trains and supports women who want to work in government. Also in 1971, she co-founded the Women's Action Alliance. This group helped feminist activists and worked for women's rights until 1997.
In the 1990s, Steinem helped start Take Our Daughters to Work Day. This day lets young girls learn about different jobs. In 2005, Steinem, Jane Fonda, and Robin Morgan started the Women's Media Center. This group helps make sure women are seen and heard in the media.
As of 2018, Steinem still travels to organize and give talks. She speaks about equality issues in the media. In 2015, she joined other peace activists on a trip from North Korea to South Korea. They crossed the border to promote peace.
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Contents
Early Life and Education
Gloria Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Her mother was Ruth, and her father was Leo Steinem. Her family moved around a lot in a trailer because her father was an antiques dealer.
Gloria's paternal grandmother, Pauline Perlmutter Steinem, was also a strong woman. She led an education committee and was the first woman elected to the Toledo Board of Education. Pauline also helped many family members escape the Holocaust.
When Gloria was ten, her parents separated. She and her mother stayed in Toledo. Gloria felt that her mother's struggles showed how hard it was for women to work. She also felt that doctors did not take her mother's health issues seriously enough. These experiences made Gloria want to fight for social and political equality for women.
Steinem went to Waite High School in Toledo. She also attended Western High School in Washington, D.C.. After high school, she went to Smith College. She graduated with high honors.
In the late 1950s, Steinem spent two years in India. She was a Chester Bowles Asian Fellow. She was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and his independence movement. Later, she used some of his ideas in her own campaigns.
Journalism Career and Ms. Magazine
In 1962, Gloria Steinem wrote an article about women having to choose between a career and marriage. This was before Betty Friedan's famous book The Feminine Mystique.
She later got a job at New York magazine in 1968. In 1972, she helped create the feminist magazine Ms.. It started as a special edition of New York magazine.
The first 300,000 copies of Ms. sold out very quickly. The magazine soon received many subscription orders and letters from readers. In 2001, Ms. was sold to the Feminist Majority Foundation. Steinem is still one of the founding editors and on the advisory board.
In 1972, Steinem became the first woman to speak at the National Press Club. In 1977, she spoke at the 1977 National Women's Conference. Other important speakers were also there.
Leading Women's Rights Activism
In 1969, Gloria Steinem published her article "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." This article made her a national leader for women's rights. She worked to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. She spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1970 to support it. That same year, she wrote an essay called "What It Would Be Like If Women Win." It described a world with gender equality.
On July 10, 1971, Steinem helped found the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC). Over 300 women joined, including Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm. Steinem gave a speech called "Address to the Women of America." She said that this movement was a revolution. She believed society should not have roles based on gender or race.
In 1972, she supported Shirley Chisholm as a delegate in New York. In March 1973, she spoke at the first national conference for Stewardesses for Women's Rights.
Steinem grew up reading Wonder Woman comics. She helped bring back Wonder Woman's powers and classic costume in 1973. Steinem was upset that the most famous female superhero had lost her powers. She put Wonder Woman on the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine.
In 1984, Steinem was arrested while protesting apartheid outside the South African embassy. She was with members of Congress and civil rights activists.
In 1991, Steinem spoke out against the Gulf War. She said that "defending democracy" was just an excuse for the war. In 1992, she helped start Choice USA. This group helps young people who support reproductive rights.
In 1993, Steinem helped produce a TV documentary for HBO about child abuse. It was called "Multiple Personalities: The Search for Deadly Memories."
In 2013, Steinem performed at the "Chime For Change" concert in London. In 2014, she spoke at the Apollo Theater in New York City. This was part of UN Women's event for the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Steinem has said that she became a symbol for the women's movement by accident. She believes the media linked her to the movement because she didn't have a male equivalent.
She also helped popularize the saying, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." However, she did not create this phrase. It was first said by Irina Dunn.
Women Cross DMZ Peace Walk
On May 24, 2015, Gloria Steinem joined 30 women from 15 countries. They linked arms with 10,000 Korean women. They stood on both sides of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between North and South Korea. They asked for a formal end to the Korean War (1950-1953). They also wanted families divided by the war to reunite. They hoped for a peace process led by women.
This was a rare event for North and South Korea to agree to. The DMZ is a very dangerous area with many troops. Steinem was an honorary co-chair for the 2015 Women's Walk For Peace In Korea. She said it was hard to imagine a clearer symbol of dividing people. The group's main goal was to promote disarmament and Korean reunification.
Steinem has also written about her travels and experiences with women in India. She traveled through India with her friend Ruchira Gupta in 2014. They met young feminists and leaders there.
Since 2011, Steinem has been a co-founder of the Frontline Women's Fund. This fund helps women's rights activists around the world. It gives them money, connects them with leaders, and helps them get media attention.
Political Campaigns and Views
Gloria Steinem has been involved in presidential campaigns since 1952. She supported Adlai Stevenson then.
1968 and 1972 Elections
In 1968, Steinem supported Senator Eugene McCarthy. She liked his views on civil rights and his opposition to the Vietnam War. She later supported George McGovern. She helped him with writing, fundraising, and press. McGovern lost the nomination in 1968.
In 1972, Steinem was hesitant to rejoin McGovern's campaign. She felt he did not fully understand the Women's Movement.
Later Elections
Before the 2004 election, Steinem strongly criticized the Bush administration. She said it was very against women's equality.
In the 2008 presidential campaign, Steinem was active. She praised both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. She said they were both civil rights advocates and feminists. Steinem supported Hillary Clinton, saying she had more experience. Steinem also wrote that gender was "probably the most restricting force in American life."
After John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, Steinem wrote an article. She called Palin an "unqualified woman" who was against what most women wanted.
In an HBO interview in 2016, Steinem was asked why young women supported Bernie Sanders. She joked, "When you're young, you're thinking, 'Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.'" She later apologized, saying her comments were misunderstood.
Steinem supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. She was also an honorary co-chair and speaker at the Women's March on Washington in 2017.
Personal Life
In 2000, at age 66, Gloria Steinem married David Bale. He was the father of actor Christian Bale. The wedding took place at the home of her friend Wilma Mankiller. Steinem became a stepmother to Bale's four adult children. She does not have any biological children. Steinem and Bale were married for three years before he passed away in 2003.
Steinem was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1986. She also had trigeminal neuralgia in 1994.
Steinem lives alone in New York City. In 2021, on her 87th birthday, Google Arts & Culture launched a virtual tour of her home. She has lived there since 1966.
On the TV show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., comedian Tig Notaro found out she and Steinem are distant cousins.
Views on Important Issues
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Gloria Steinem often calls herself a radical feminist. However, she believes that putting feminists into strict categories is not helpful. She says she has been placed in every category.
Feminist Ideas
Steinem has often said she does not like how complicated some feminist academic writing can be. She believes it uses language that is hard to understand. She thinks knowledge should be easy to access and helpful.
Same-Sex Marriage
In 1970, Steinem wrote an essay called "What Would It Be Like If Women Win." In it, she imagined a future where same-sex marriage was legal. She wrote that gay or lesbian people would no longer be denied legal marriages.
She continued to support same-sex marriage in the early 2000s. Steinem also signed a statement in 2008. It supported extending legal rights to many different types of relationships and families.
Transgender Rights
On June 15, 2020, Steinem wrote a letter to The New York Times. She opposed the Trump administration's plan to remove civil rights protections for transgender healthcare. She wrote that "the health of any of us affects the health of all of us." She believed that excluding transgender people puts everyone at risk.
What Gloria Steinem Hopes For
In 2024, Steinem shared what she hopes her legacy will be. She wants her work to help people become more of the unique, valuable, and loved person they want to be.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Gloria Steinem has received many awards for her work:
- American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California's Bill of Rights Award
- American Humanist Association's 2012 Humanist of the Year (2012)
- BBC's 100 Women list (2023)
- Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law's International Advocate for Peace Award
- Biography magazine listed her as one of the 25 most influential women in America.
- Clarion award
- DVF Lifetime Leadership Award (2014)
- Emmy Citation for excellence in television writing
- Esquire listed her as one of the 75 greatest women of all time (2010).
- Equality Now's international human rights award (2000)
- FAO CERES Medal
- Front Page award
- Glamour magazine listed her as one of "The 75 Most Important Women of the Past 75 Years" (2014).
- Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund's Liberty Award
- Library Lion award (2015)
- The Ms. Foundation for Women's Gloria Awards are named after her.
- National Gay Rights Advocates Award
- National Magazine awards
- Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame (1993)
- New York Women's Foundation's Century Award (2014)
- Parenting's Lifetime Achievement Award (1995)
- Penney-Missouri Journalism Award
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2013)
- Rutgers University created the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in 2014.
- Sara Curry Humanitarian Award (2007)
- Simmons College's Doctorate of Human Justice
- Society of Professional Journalists' Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award
- Featured on a Supersisters trading card (1979).
- United Nations' Ceres Medal
- United Nations' Society of Writers Award
- University of Missouri School of Journalism Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism
- Women's Sports Journalism Award
- 2015 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
- Recipient of the 2017 Ban Ki-moon Award For Women's Empowerment
- Received an honorary degree from Yale University (2019).
- Received the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (2021).
Books by Gloria Steinem
- The Thousand Indias (1957)
- The Beach Book (1963)
- Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983)
- Marilyn: Norma Jean (1986), with George Barris
- Revolution from Within (1992)
- Moving beyond Words (1993)
- Doing Sixty & Seventy (2006)
- As if Women Matter: The Essential Gloria Steinem Reader (2014), with Ruchira Gupta
- My Life on the Road (2015)
- My Life on the Road (2016)
See also
In Spanish: Gloria Steinem para niños
