Gloria Steinem, the pioneering journalist and activist who became one of the most influential figures in the modern American women’s movement, has died at the age of 92.
Steinem died peacefully at her New York City home on Wednesday surrounded by people close to her, according to a statement posted on her official Instagram account. No cause of death was immediately announced.
“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the statement said, describing her as having retained her independence, curiosity and humour throughout her life.
A defining figure of second-wave feminism, Steinem spent more than five decades campaigning for gender equality, reproductive rights and greater political and economic opportunities for women.
She first gained national attention as a journalist, including through her celebrated 1963 undercover investigation of working conditions for Playboy Club waitresses. She later emerged as one of the most recognisable advocates of the American feminist movement.
In 1972, Steinem helped launch Ms. Magazine, which became an influential platform for feminist journalism and debate. She also helped establish organisations including the National Women’s Political Caucus and remained involved in political and social activism well into her later years.
Her advocacy encompassed issues ranging from reproductive freedom and domestic violence to discrimination in employment and politics. She was part of a generation of activists whose campaigns accompanied sweeping changes in American women’s legal, educational and economic opportunities.
Steinem continued to use her New York home as a gathering place for activists, hosting what she called “Talking Circles” and supporting social justice movements.
Her influence was recognised at the highest levels of the US government when President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
Her representatives asked those wishing to honour her to light a candle in her memory or make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation.
Steinem leaves behind a legacy spanning journalism, political organising and more than half a century of advocacy that helped transform the place of women in American public life.