In the 1970s Gloria Steinem became an icon of the American feminist movement, and she remains a leader for young feminists. Since the 1970s Steinem has devoted herself to the women's movement, writing influential journalism about women's issues, advocating the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and helping to found political organizations such as the National Women's Political Caucus, Voters for Choice, and the Ms. Foundation for Women. Named nine times by the World Almanac as one of the twenty-five most influential women in the United States, Steinem has been recognized as one of the foremost leaders and spokeswomen of the "second wave" of the women's movement.

Gloria Steinem was born on 25 March 1934 in Toledo, Ohio, the second of the two daughters of Ruth (Nuneviller) Steinem and Leo Steinem. Steinem's paternal grandmother, Pauline Steinem, served as president of the Ohio Women's Suffrage Association from 1908 to 1911 and was one...