Feminist Activist Gloria Steinem Dies at 92

American writer, journalist and feminist activist Gloria Steinem, who spent decades campaigning for gender equality, women’s civil rights and abortion rights, died on Wednesday at the age of 92, her foundation announced.

From the late 1960s, Steinem became one of the most prominent figures in the US feminist movement. In 1968, she helped found New York magazine, where she worked as a political columnist. In 1971, she co-founded Ms., which first appeared as an insert in New York before becoming an independent magazine the following year. It addressed issues including sexism, equal pay, domestic violence and abortion.

In 1963, Steinem spent 11 days working undercover as a Playboy Bunny at the Playboy Club in New York. In her subsequent exposé, “A Bunny’s Tale”, she described the low pay and sexist treatment experienced by female employees.

Steinem also helped found organizations including the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Media Center and the Ms. Foundation for Women.

Her life was chronicled in the film The Glorias, the play Gloria: A Life and the documentary Gloria: In Her Own Words. Her books included the memoir My Life on the Road.

In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honor.

(Reuters, bak)