Statement on the Passing of Gloria Steinem
3 September 2026
The Socialist International, alongside the American and global progressive and feminist movement, mourns the passing of Gloria Steinem, an iconic, groundbreaking thinker and activist for women's rights, equality, and peacebuilding.
Reflecting our shared values, she wrote: "Sex and race, because they are easy and visible differences, have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups, and into cheap labor on which the system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism."
A tireless presence in every crucial fight, she engaged with all the key challenges of her time: from opposition to the Vietnam War, to the Equal Rights Amendment, the founding of the National Women's Political Caucus, the struggle against apartheid, the co-chairing of the Women's Walk for Peace, and the fight against trafficking alongside Ruchira Gupta and Apne Aap, to her landmark writing, from Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions to As If Women Matter. Gloria Steinem leaves an indelible imprint.
Our deepest condolences to her sisters, family, and partners in the struggle for justice around the world.
