When we talk about women who changed the way the world thinks about women, Gloria Steinem (March 25, 1934 - September 2, 2026) deserves a place of honour. She may be a familiar name to many, particularly to those who have followed the history of feminism, journalism and women's rights. Yet for younger generations and readers encountering her for the first time, her life offers much more than a history lesson.

Gloria Steinem was an American journalist, author and feminist activist who became one of the most influential voices of the modern women's movement. Through her writing, journalism and activism, she encouraged women across the world to question social expectations, seek equality and find their own voice.

Her message was never simply, "Women must fight."

It was also:

• Think.
• Question.
• Choose.
• Speak.
• Participate.

And never believe that your voice is insignificant.

From journalism to a larger purpose

Steinem began her career as a journalist at a time when journalism itself was largely a male-dominated profession. She wrote about subjects that mattered to women but were often dismissed as insignificant or treated as private matters.

Her journalism gradually became connected with the women's movement. She co-founded Ms. magazine, which became an important platform for feminist writing and discussion.

Her career demonstrates something important: a profession can become a platform for change.

She did not separate her writing from her beliefs. Her philosophy found its way into her journalism, essays, speeches and books.

Among her best-known works are The Female Mystique? — actually Betty Friedan's book — while Steinem herself wrote influential works including Revolution from Within, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, My Life on the Road and Moving Beyond Words.

Her writing repeatedly returned to questions of identity, equality, power, work, relationships and the assumptions society makes about women.

What can we learn from Gloria Steinem?

Steinem's life offers lessons that are remarkably practical even today.

1. Question what you have been told

Perhaps one of her strongest lessons is the importance of questioning.

"This is how things have always been" is not necessarily a good reason to continue doing something.

• Why should a woman behave in a particular way?
• Why should certain careers be considered unsuitable?
• Why should household responsibilities automatically belong to women?
• Why should women apologise for ambition?
• Questions can be uncomfortable—but they can also be liberating.

A small change: The next time you hear "women are supposed to...", pause and ask: Who decided that?

2. Independence is more than earning money

Financial independence is important, but independence also means having the confidence to make decisions.

A woman can be surrounded by people who love her and still need an independent mind.

Having one's own opinions, interests, friendships, reading habits, ambitions and dreams is not selfish.

It is part of being an individual.

A small everyday change: Make at least one decision because you believe it is right—not simply because everyone else expects it.

3. Don't make yourself smaller

Women are often taught, directly or indirectly, to be accommodating.

• Don't speak too loudly.
• Don't appear too ambitious.
• Don't know too much.
• Don't disagree.
• Don't make others uncomfortable.

Steinem challenged these expectations.

There is a wonderful lesson here for women of every age:

You don't have to become smaller to make someone else feel bigger.

Speak when you have something to say. Take credit for your work. Accept your achievements without embarrassment.

4. Your voice matters

Steinem used journalism and public speaking to bring women's experiences into public conversation.

That is particularly relevant today.

We all have platforms now—blogs, social media, newsletters, podcasts and community groups.

But having a platform is not the same as using it meaningfully.

A small change: Use your voice occasionally for something that matters—not merely something that attracts attention.

Write about an issue. Recommend a book. Encourage another woman. Share someone's work. Challenge an unfair assumption.

Change doesn't always begin with a protest.

Sometimes it begins with one honest conversation.

5. Women don't have to compete with one another

One of the unfortunate ideas society sometimes creates is that women must compete for limited space.

• Who is more successful?
• Who looks better?
• Who married first?
• Who earns more?
• Whose children achieved more?
• Who has the better home?
• Who has the perfect life?

Steinem's broader philosophy encourages us to look beyond these comparisons and recognise the importance of solidarity.

A small change: Instead of comparing yourself with another woman, celebrate something she has achieved.

Her success doesn't diminish yours.

6. Age should never become a prison

Steinem has also been an important example of continuing to work, speak and participate across decades.

There is a lesson here for women as they grow older.

Society often becomes more restrictive about women with age. Certain clothes are considered inappropriate. Certain ambitions are considered unnecessary. Certain dreams are considered too late.

But why?

There is no expiry date on curiosity.

Learn something new. Read. Write. Travel. Work. Volunteer. Begin a project. Change your mind.

A new chapter can begin at any age.

The practicality of her philosophy

What makes Steinem's message interesting is that it need not remain confined to feminist theory or political activism.

It can enter our kitchens, workplaces, families and friendships.

It can mean:

• teaching daughters to make decisions rather than simply obey;
• teaching sons that household work belongs to everyone;
• encouraging women to manage their own finances;
• giving girls equal opportunities to study and dream;
• refusing to judge women by marital status;
• respecting women who choose different paths;
• supporting another woman's career instead of questioning her priorities;
• allowing women to say no without demanding an explanation;
• making space for women to speak in family discussions;
• encouraging older women to continue learning and creating.

These may look like small things. But social change is often built from small things repeated every day.

Her writings: philosophy turned into literature

Steinem's writing is important because she did not merely write about feminism. She examined the experiences, contradictions and expectations surrounding women's lives.

Her essays and books combine personal observation with larger social questions.

In My Life on the Road, for instance, travel becomes more than movement from one place to another. Encounters with people become opportunities to understand communities, politics and human relationships.

Her writing demonstrates the power of combining personal experience with social observation.

That is perhaps one reason her work continues to resonate.

• A personal story can reveal a larger social truth.
• A woman's experience in a workplace can reveal discrimination.
• A conversation between two friends can reveal generations of conditioning.
• A family tradition can reveal an assumption about gender.

Literature becomes a way of asking: Why do we live this way? And could we live differently?

What can we do as a tribute to Gloria Steinem?

We don't all have to become activists.

We don't have to write a book.

We don't have to stand on a stage.

We can begin much closer to home.

Listen to a woman whose voice is usually ignored.

Give a girl the freedom to dream beyond conventional careers.

Teach a boy that cooking, cleaning and caregiving are human responsibilities—not women's responsibilities.

Read a woman writer.

Recommend her work to someone else.

Support a woman entrepreneur.

Don't judge another woman's choices simply because they are different from yours.

Speak up when an unfair stereotype is presented as truth.

And perhaps most importantly—

allow yourself to live a life that is authentically yours.

A tribute that doesn't require a statue

Gloria Steinem's greatest legacy may not be a particular slogan, article or speech.

It may be the countless women who, after encountering her ideas, asked themselves:

• "Why not me?"
• Why can't I study this?
• Why can't I work?
• Why can't I travel?
• Why can't I write?
• Why can't I speak?
• Why can't I begin again?
• Why can't I choose differently?

That question can change a life.

And perhaps that is the most meaningful tribute we can offer—not simply admiring Gloria Steinem, but putting the values she championed into practice in our everyday lives.

• We can question without being disrespectful.
• We can be independent without being unkind.
• We can be ambitious without being apologetic.
• We can support other women without competing with them.
• We can grow older without stopping.
• And we can use our voices—not only for ourselves, but for those who are still waiting to be heard.

Gloria Steinem taught generations of women to recognise their own agency. The best way to honour that lesson is to use ours.