The legacy of Gloria Steinem: A woman who mattered

Gloria Steinem of the National Organization for Women attends an Equal Rights Amendment rally outside the White House on July 4, 1981, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite) The legacy of Gloria Steinem: A woman who mattered Published: September 4, 2026 1.31pm EDT Share article Print article Ten years ago, I had the honour of meeting Gloria Steinem. It was International Women’s Day 2016: Donald Trump was a joke that would supposedly never happen and #MeToo was still two years away. Yet, the clouds were gathering. Being in the presence of Steinem, one of our greatest witnesses to a feminist revolution, was a stark reminder of how far we had come but also how far we still had to go. How, then, to encapsulate the legacy of someone who, according to the New York Times, was “the personification of the women’s movement”? Well, the American women’s movement at least. Why, despite her influence, do I specify the United States? Because, as a chronicler of Canada’s distinct women’s movement, I want to reflect on everything Steinem gave us but also on the ways she may have overshadowed the lives and legacies of other feminists. Gloria Steinem, centre right, greets protesters before speaking at the Women’s March on Washington during the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, in Washington, Jan. 21, 2017. (AP/John Minchillo) Second-wave feminism It is difficult to differentiate Steinem from second-wave feminism, a period that extends roughly from the early 60s to the 90s. It was a transnational, multivaried movement born out of the ruins of the Second World War to not only re-assert women’s rights but also to permanently alter cultural attitudes and behaviours about women. As a journalist, Steinem wrote about second-wave feminist issues but didn’t emerge as one of its activist leaders until near the end of the ‘60s, when it was better known as the women’s movement. She was at her zenith throughout the 1970s, thanks in part to her role in founding Ms. Magazine and her efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. (which failed). Despite the movement’s complexity, obituaries call her the face of or “leader” of the women’s movement — usually with minimal contextualization. This oversimplification has consequences for how feminism is defined, practiced and measured, especially in light of the reactionary politics in the U.S. today. Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment march in Washington, July 9, 1978. From left are: Gloria…