Gloria Steinem lived to see a backlash against the strides she helped make for feminism

Gloria Steinem of the National Organization for Women attends an Equal Rights Amendment rally outside the White House on July 4, 1981, in Washington.(AP Photo/Scott Applewhite, File)

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Leading supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment march in Washington, July 9, 1978, urging Congress to extend the time for ratification of the ERA. From left are: Gloria Steinem; Dick Gregory; Betty Friedan; Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, D-N.Y. (partially obscured); Rep. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.; and Rep. Margaret Heckler, R-Mass. The women at far left and right are unidentified. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)

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It was the fight for abortion rights that launched Gloria Steinem into feminism.

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The idea that women couldn’t reach equality without the ability to decide whether or when to have children was central to the feminist movement of the late 1960s, which Steinem came to embody until her death at age 92 on Wednesday.

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The victories of that movement dramatically transformed American culture and family life, leading to a surge of women into the workforce, even as advocates continue to fight against a persistent gender wage gap, sexual harassment and unequal representation at the top ranks of companies and political office.

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But Steinem lived to see the rise of a powerful backlash…

Original source: https://apnews.com/business

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