Steinem, Gloria (1934—)

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Gloria Steinem Summary

Steinem, Gloria (1934—)

American feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem is perhaps the most visible representative of the women's rights movement, an effort that has resulted in immeasurable effects in contemporary society. She is best known for founding the groundbreaking women's magazine Ms. in the early 1970s and for being heavily involved in spearheading the drive to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which, although it was never adopted, generated a maelstrom of dialogue on the topic and contributed to a new consciousness for women in America. Though more radical feminists have criticized Steinem for having too much of a middle-class approach to the struggle, some have noted that her mainstream persona helped make women's rights accessible to a greater number of women.

Steinem was born March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, to Leo and Ruth (Nunevillar) Steinem. When she was a youth, her parents divorced, leaving her mother—who had already been prone to nervous breakdown—extremely depressed. Steinem spent much of her youth caring for her incapacitated mother, who enriched her daughter by exposing her to literature and instilling in her a deep respect for others. In high school, Steinem moved to Washington, D.C., to live with her older sister, Suzanne, then went on to attend Smith College. After graduating magna cum laude in 1956, Steinem earned a fellowship to study in India, where she learned of the nonviolent philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

Steinem returned to the United States and aspired to a career in journalism. In 1960 she began writing for periodicals, and in 1963 went undercover as a Playboy "bunny," a cocktail waitress in the famous men's club, in order to write a wry expose detailing the degradation women faced there. By the late 1960s, Steinem began emerging as a serious journalist when she was tapped to produce a weekly political column for the newly launched New York magazine. Brimming with advocacy and pleas for activism, her pieces tackled subjects ranging from the fight to free Angela Davis, to support of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, to backing author Norman Mailer in his bid for mayor of New York City. She was not considered a leader in the women's movement until she produced the article "After Black Power, Women's Liberation" in 1968, following a meeting by a group called the Redstockings that addressed the issue of abortion.

From 1969 to 1972, Steinem rose to acclaim as a figure head of the women's rights movement. Appearing regularly in the media, she was articulate and humorous, thus endearing many to the cause. She was in stark contrast to the far-left feminists of the day, who quickly earned derision and ridicule by much of the press for their Marxist views and lesbian orientation. In July of 1971, Steinem joined Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug, and Shirley Chisholm to found the National Women's Political Caucus, which supported women running for public office. Also that year, Steinem founded Ms., a magazine by, for, and about women. The first full issue was published in January of 1972 and sold out its print run of 300,000 in just over a week. By summer of 1972, it had become a monthly magazine, financed byWarner Communications. Beginning in 1979, it operated as a nonprofit organization.

Gloria Steinem

As she gained prominence, Steinem faced opposition from various radical feminist camps because her views did not always agree with theirs. In addition, men from both the conservative and liberal camps were threatened by her attacks on male power as well as issues like pornography, which she opposes. In addition, the Redstockings began accusing Steinem in the mid-1970s of working for the CIA in the 1950s. She had indeed briefly been employed with a liberal student group after college that was funded by the agency, but maintained that she was not aware of the ties. Meanwhile, the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced and passed Congress in 1972. It was a proposed amendment to the Constitution that guaranteed equal rights to women under the law. Though it was never approved, Steinem was one of its leading advocates, helping to stir up debate that went far in changing the role of women in society. Due to this cultural shift, more and more women began entering the work force, thus empowering themselves economically. It became illegal to discriminate against and harass women, and it is no longer legal for a man to rape or beat his wife. As recently as the 1960s, classified ads for jobs were segregated by sex; that practice is no longer acceptable. Though women still may not have achieved the full status of men in American business and politics, the effects of the women's movement on society has been enormous.

Into the 1980s, Steinem continued to urge for more fairness in the treatment of women. She championed the concept of equal pay for equal work and wanted to see it come to fruition, though studies show that it has not yet happened. She also began shifting her focus from mainly financial and job-related issues to a more humanistic approach, hoping to encourage a world where gender lines will not be so strictly defined. Pushing for men to accept more of the responsibility of child-rearing and domestic duties, she espoused that men and women should be less bound by traditional roles in order to make their lives more well-rounded. In 1983 Steinem published a well-received collection of essays titled Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. She also stayed involved with Ms., but in 1987 Australian company John Fairfax, Ltd. bought the magazine and readership fell drastically. The legendary publication was in dire straits. In 1990, it returned without paid advertising. For the first of the new issues, Steinem wrote a scathing commentary on the control that advertisers have in editorial operations of women's magazines. In 1994 she released a new set of essays, Moving Beyond Words, and continued to stand as the leading spokesperson for feminist activism in America.