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 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| 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 journalist and activist. She became a famous leader of the women's rights movement in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This movement is often called second-wave feminism.
Steinem was a writer for New York magazine and helped start Ms. magazine. In 1969, she wrote an article called "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." This article made her a well-known feminist leader.
In 1971, she helped create the National Women's Political Caucus. This group helps train and support women who want to work in government. She also helped start the Women's Action Alliance, which supported feminist causes. In the 1990s, Steinem helped create Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which lets young girls explore different careers.
In 2005, Steinem, along with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan, started the Women's Media Center. This organization works to make sure women's voices are heard in the media. Steinem continues to travel the world, speaking about equality.
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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
As a young journalist, Steinem took on important assignments. In 1962, she wrote an article about how women were often forced to choose between having a career and getting married.
A Bunny's Tale
..... Her story, called "A Bunny's Tale," revealed the poor working conditions and unfair treatment of the women working there. .....
After the article, some people only saw her as "a Bunny," and she had trouble getting other jobs for a while. But she was proud of exposing the problems at the clubs.
Ms. Magazine
In 1969, Steinem attended a meeting where women shared their personal stories about making difficult health choices. This event inspired her to become a more active feminist. She realized that many women's issues were not being talked about openly.
In 1972, she co-founded Ms. magazine. It was one of the first magazines to be created and run by women. It covered topics that were important to the women's rights movement. The first issue sold out in just eight days. Steinem is still involved with the magazine today.
In 1978, she wrote a famous essay called "If Men Could Menstruate." In it, she imagined a world where men had periods instead of women. She suggested that if this were the case, it would be seen as a sign of power, not something to be ashamed of.
Activism for Women's Rights
Steinem became a leading voice in the fight for women's equality. She campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed change to the U.S. Constitution to guarantee equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their gender.
Founding Feminist Organizations
On July 10, 1971, Steinem helped found the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC). At its first meeting, she gave a powerful speech called "Address to the Women of America." She said that the movement was not just a simple reform but a "revolution" for humanism, where people are judged by their choices and achievements, not by their gender or race.
Steinem also played a role in restoring the powers of the superhero Wonder Woman in the comics. She was a fan and felt it was important for the most famous female superhero to be strong. She even put Wonder Woman on the first cover of Ms. magazine in 1972.
International Work
Steinem's activism is global. In 2015, she joined a group of women peace activists, including two Nobel Peace Prize winners, on a walk across the border between North and South Korea. They called for peace and the reunification of families separated by the Korean War.
..... She has traveled through India with her friend, activist Ruchira Gupta, to support young feminists.
Political Involvement
Steinem has been involved in politics for many years, supporting candidates who she believed would advance civil rights and equality.
She was very active in the 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns of George McGovern, who opposed the Vietnam War. During the 1972 Democratic National Convention, she fought to have women's health rights included in the party's platform.
In later years, she continued to support political candidates who stood for women's equality. She endorsed Hillary Clinton in both the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections. In 2017, she was a speaker at the Women's March on Washington, a massive protest for women's rights.
Personal Life
On September 3, 2000, at the age of 66, Steinem married David Bale, the father of actor Christian Bale. They were married for three years before he passed away in 2003.
Steinem was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1986 and has since recovered. She has said that turning 60 felt like a new, freeing stage of life. She lives in New York City in the same apartment she has owned since 1966.
Selected Awards and Honors
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2013), the highest civilian honor in the U.S.
- National Women's Hall of Fame inductee (1993)
- BBC's 100 Women list (2023)
- Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (2021)
- Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award (2015)
- American Humanist Association's Humanist of the Year (2012)
- Esquire magazine's 75 greatest women of all time (2010)
Images for kids
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Steinem at the LBJ Library in 1975
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At the Women's Action Alliance news conference of January 12, 1972
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Gloria Steinem in 1977, photographed by Lynn Gilbert
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Steinem at an event campaigning for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in September 2016.
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Gloria Steinem (right) and Alice Walker celebrate Steinem's 75th birthday in the Fall 2009 issue of Ms.
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FAO CERES Steinem Silver Obverse
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Steinem at the LBJ Library in 2019
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See also
In Spanish: Gloria Steinem para niños
