September 3, 2026

Gloria Steinem was the most recognizable feminist of her generation.

Steinem, who died Sept. 2, was relentless in her pursuit of equality for women and cultivated close ties with the labor movement to move the women’s movement forward. She was 92.

She helped found the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1974. She marched alongside telephone operators and the United Farm Workers and connected the fight for women’s rights in the workplace to the broader campaign for a fairer, equitable workplace for everyone.

In a statement on Facebook, the AFL-CIO posted: “Rest in power, Gloria Steinem, a lifelong advocate for working women who dedicated her life to fighting for women’s equality, equal pay and respect on the job. We’re grateful for her lifetime of courage, leadership and commitment to making the world better for women everywhere.”

Steinem was born in 1934. Women won the right to vote just 14 years earlier. Many of the rights women take for granted now were unheard of in Steinem’s childhood and young adulthood.

In Steinem’s New York Times obituary Katharine Q. Seelye writes, “Women were second-class citizens, with few legal rights, little financial independence and no autonomy over their bodies. They needed a man’s signature to get a credit card or a bank loan. States had a ‘marital exemption’ that allowed a husband to rape his wife without fear of legal consequences.”

Steinem, Betty Friedan, Congresswomen Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm and other feminists needed to be brave and tireless. They inspired women’s groups all over the country, women who were tired of housekeeping tips and wanted the content they found in Ms., the magazine Steinem helped found in 1971.

In January 1972, topics in Ms. included the inherent conflict in juggling work and home life and a list of well-known women who acknowledged they sought illegal abortions.

Despite its victories, the women’s movement has yet to achieve all Steinem set out to do.

The landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The Equal Rights Amendment is not part of the U.S. Constitution. Steinem kept writing and speaking on these issues until the end of her life.

At UUP, we are eternally grateful for her conviction, her voice and her courage. We believe as she believed, “when unique voices are united in a common cause, they make history.”