Gloria Steinem Biography

Writer, feminist, and social reformer. Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Gloria Steinem emerged as one of the leading voices of the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. After graduating from Smith College in 1956, she went to India on a scholarship and stayed on to write newspaper articles and a guidebook. Determined to be a journalist, she returned to the United States and worked for the Independent Research Service (later revealed as secretly subsidized by the CIA) from 1958 to 1960.

Gloria Steinem went to New York City and began as a freelance writer, first attracting attention with her article, “I Was a Playboy Bunny,” an exposé based on her own undercover work in a New York City Playboy Club. She was soon publishing her articles and becoming something of a celebrity, often seen with male celebrities. She also began to write some television comedy material, and in 1968 was invited to write a column, “The City Politic,” for a new magazine called New York, thus beginning her career as a serious social commentator.

Around this time, Gloria Steinem became affiliated with a radical women's group, the Redstockings, and published her first overtly feminist piece, “After Black Power, Women's Liberation.” In 1971 she joined other prominent feminists, such as Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan, in forming the National Women's Political Caucus, which worked on behalf of women’s issues. Steinem also took the lead in launching the pioneering feminist Ms magazine. It began as an insert in New York magazine in December 1971; its first independent issue appeared in January 1972.

As her public profile continued to rise, Gloria Steinem faced criticism from some feminists for her association with the CIA-backed Independent Research Service. Others questioned her commitment to the feminist movement because of her glamorous image. Undeterred, Steinem continued on her own way, speaking out, lecturing widely, organizing various women's functions, and editing Ms until 1987.

After leaving her post at Ms, Gloria Steinem focused on other projects, producing a number of books. She invited controversy once again with Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem (1992) which seemed to some feminists to be a retreat from social action. Her 2000 marriage to David Bale also raised eyebrows in certain circles. But Steinem remains committed to her feminist work, writing and lecturing on social issues. Her most recent book, Doing Sixty and Seventy (2006), looks at the meaning behind those significant life milestones.