The pioneering journalist, author and feminist activist died peacefully at her home in New York City on Wednesday, aged 92, surrounded by people close to her.
Steinem’s influence on media is difficult to separate from her influence on feminism. As a journalist, she wrote about women’s lives at a time when many of their experiences were largely absent from mainstream coverage. In 1971, she co-founded Ms. magazine, creating a platform for conversations about women’s rights, politics, work and culture.
She later co-founded the Women’s Media Center, continuing her work to improve the representation of women in media.
But Steinem’s legacy was about more than creating platforms. Those who knew her have repeatedly spoken about her ability to listen and make people feel seen.
Tributes following her death have come from across generations, including Carole King, Ann Curry, Brooke Shields, Julianne Moore and Roxane Gay. King described continuing the fight for “power, equality, and respect”, while Shields remembered Steinem as a role model, mentor, inspiration and friend.
Steinem continued writing and bringing people together in her later years, hosting regular “Talking Circles” at her New York home. Her forthcoming book, An Unexpected Life, is due to be published later this month.
For a woman who spent her life making space for other voices, perhaps the most fitting measure of Steinem’s legacy is not simply what she said, but how many people felt heard because she was there.
