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Later in life, Gloria Steinem found herself free of the 'demands of gender'
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- Gloria Steinem, a pioneering feminist writer and activist, reflected late in life that by age 60, she felt free from the "demands of gender," returning to the independent spirit she had as a child before societal gender roles took hold.
- Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine in 1971 to create a platform devoted to feminist voices, addressing the lack of serious political writing opportunities for women in mainstream media at the time.
- She openly discussed her illegal abortion at age 22, highlighting how sharing women's experiences helped challenge laws and stigmas surrounding reproductive rights before Roe v. Wade.
- Steinem identified violence against women and reproductive freedom as the most urgent global issues facing women, emphasizing the widespread impact of domestic violence and lack of control over childbearing.
- Later in life, Steinem embraced creating a personal home and viewed aging as a transformative phase where women can shed societal expectations and become their authentic selves.
