American feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem is perhaps the most visible representative of the women's rights movement, an effort that has resulted in immeasurable effects in contemporary society. She is best known for founding the groundbreaking women's magazine Ms. in the early 1970s and for being heavily involved in spearheading the drive to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which, although it was never adopted, generated a maelstrom of dialogue on the topic and contributed to a new consciousness for women in America. Though more radical feminists have criticized Steinem for having too much of a middle-class approach to the struggle, some have noted that her mainstream persona helped make women's rights accessible to a greater number of women.

Steinem was born March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, to Leo and Ruth (Nunevillar) Steinem. When she was a youth, her parents divorced, leaving her mother—who had...