Gloria Steinem, the journalist and activist who became one of the most recognizable figures of the modern American women's movement, has died at the age of 92.

For more than half a century, Steinem was a public face of feminism in the United States. She rose to prominence as a writer in the 1960s, and in 1972 she co-founded Ms. magazine, a publication devoted to women's issues that gave the movement a national platform. Her work as a reporter, essayist and speaker helped carry debates over women's rights, reproductive freedom and workplace equality from the margins into mainstream political life.

Steinem's approach paired journalism with organizing. She traveled widely to speak, helped launch advocacy groups and became a familiar presence at rallies and on television. Over the decades she came to be described across much of the press as a defining symbol of second-wave feminism, and her name became closely tied to the causes she championed, particularly the campaign for abortion rights.

That association also made her a figure of sustained disagreement. Her advocacy for reproductive rights drew praise from allies who saw it as central to women's autonomy, and criticism from opponents who rejected the link she drew between women's advancement and access to abortion. The Federalist, in its coverage, argued that framing female success as dependent on abortion was itself harmful to women. The Boston Globe noted that Steinem lived long enough to witness organized opposition to the vision of feminism she had helped shape.

News of her death prompted a wide range of responses. Tributes came from figures in politics, entertainment and activism, with remembrances circulating from Capitol Hill to Hollywood. Supporters credited her with reshaping how a generation of Americans thought about gender, work and family, while her critics used the moment to renew longstanding objections to her positions.

Steinem's career spanned a period of significant change in American life, and her writing documented and pressed that change. She remained active as a writer and public speaker into her later years, continuing to comment on the movement she had done much to define and to reflect on the disagreements it produced.

Details regarding the cause of death and funeral arrangements were not immediately released.

References

1. 1.AP — reported Steinem's death at 92 and described her as a defining symbol of the women's movement
2. 2.USA Today, BBC, NeutralNews — confirmed her death at 92 and her role co-founding Ms. magazine
3. 3.NPR — reported tributes flooding in from Hollywood to Capitol Hill
4. 4.Boston Globe — noted she lived to see backlash against her vision of feminism
5. 5.The Federalist — argued her view linking female success to abortion was harmful to women
6. 6.Vox, Washington Post — characterized her as a central face of American feminism