Steinem, Gloria (1934–)

Steinem grew to prominence as an outspoken social advocate in the 1960s, championing women’s rights. She graduated from Smith College in 1956 and studied in India. In 1963 she published her famous expos é of New York’s Playboy Club. She wrote political columns for New York magazine and joined prominent feminists to start the National Women’s Caucus in 1971. She founded Ms magazine, a feminist publication that discussed crucial women’s issues, including domestic violence. She published an essay collection in 1983 and wrote throughout the 1980s and 1990s as she defeated breast cancer, married, and continued to advocate for equality.