feminism: The Continuing Legacy Left By Steinem

Gloria Steinem at a women's conference held at the LBJ Library on Nov. 9, 1975. Photo by Frank Wolfe, LBJ Library on Flickr

On Sept. 2, the world lost the great pioneer of second-wave feminism, Gloria Steinem. Steinem had many titles: journalist, writer, lecturer, political activist and more, but all these titles fell under her overarching identity as a feminist. 

The second wave of feminism roughly spanned the 1960s and 1970s, rising from the ashes of World War II. This movement was a time of campaigning for educational equality, female employment, birth control access and an end to violence against women. 

The ultimate goal of the second wave of feminism was not just to solidify women’s rights within a nation that was so set on diminishing them, but to permanently alter society’s cultural attitudes towards women.

This goal was personified by Gloria Steinem. Steinem emerged as a notable leader in this movement near the end of the 1960s; however, it was in the 1970s when her notable contributions, including co-founding “Ms.” magazine and her efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (which ultimately failed), came to light.

Steinem was a major proponent of choice. She wanted women to be able to choose their path in life. In her infamous 1970 TIME essay entitled “What It Would Be Like If Women Win,” Steinem makes a plethora of claims supporting her viewpoints. Steinem argues, “Women don’t want to exchange places with men,” in order to further her arguments for: marriage/divorce rights, women in political offices, more women in workplaces/male-dominated fields, gay marriage, sexism to dissipate among school-aged girls and much more throughout this piece. 

This piece goes into intricate detail on the aforementioned topics in a way that flawlessly depicts what exactly American women were striving towards. Steinem’s TIME piece is one that should be read by the masses.

“Gloria Steinem had an extraordinary gift for identifying the political, intellectual, and cultural obstacles that constrained women's lives and explaining them in ways that resonated with a broad audience,” said Dr. Robyn L. Rosen, a history professor studying and focusing on women’s activism. 

“She consistently drew women into her circle whose experiences differed from her own, and her feminism became richer and more inclusive as a result. Her career is a reminder that social movements are most powerful when they remain open to growth, self-criticism, and new voices,” Rosen said.

I asked Rosen for her take on modern feminism, since in current times we have certainly seen a villainization of feminism within American society. Many people have a misconstrued take on feminism under the belief that it places women over men, when in actuality it’s a call for equality. 

“Anyone who doubts feminism's continued relevance need only look at the world around us. We see rollbacks in reproductive health care, persistent economic inequalities, renewed efforts to steer women toward traditional gender roles, and staggering levels of gender-based violence around the globe. Feminism remains necessary because progress is never permanent,” Rosen said.

Feminism is not a needless construct; it’s quite the opposite. Women like Steinem raise women’s heads above the water for as long as they can before they are once again pulled down below the surface, struggling to swim back up. 

It is important to remember where we once came from, and in Steinem’s lifetime, many rights were granted to women and then stripped away. Rosen said progress is never permanent, but evidently the fight is.