Gloria Steinem Biography: Children, Age, Husband, Religion, Net Worth, Books, CIA, Movie

Biography

Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an iconic American journalist, feminist activist, and co-founder of Ms. magazine, who became a leading voice of second-wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s.

A prolific writer and organizer, she co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and has authored several influential books, including the memoir My Life on the Road.

In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now 91, Steinem continues her advocacy through speaking, writing, and initiatives such as Gloria’s Foundation, remaining a vital figure in discussions of equality and women’s rights.

American journalist and social activist
Gloria Steinem
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Gloria Marie Steinem
Stage Name:	Gloria Steinem
Born:	25 March 1934 (age 91 years old)
Place of Birth:	Toledo, Ohio, United States
Nationality:	American
Education:	Waite High School, Western High School, Smith College
Height:	1.75 m
Parents:	Ruth Nuneviller, Leo Steinem
Siblings:	Susanne Steinem Patch
Spouse:	David Bale (m. 2000–2003)
Boyfriend • Partner:	Mortimer Zuckerman, Rafer Johnson, Jim Brown, Mike Nichols, Herbert Sargent, Stan Pottinger, Franklin “Frank” Thomas, Thomas Guinzburg, Robert Benton, Mort Sahl
Children:	N/A
Occupation:	Journalist • Feminist Activist
Net Worth:	$20 million (USD)

Early Life & Education

Gloria Marie Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Her early life was marked by instability and hardship.

Her parents, Leo Steinem, a Jewish antiques dealer and son of immigrants from Germany and Poland, and Ruth Nuneviller Steinem, of Presbyterian background with primarily Scottish and German ancestry and a former journalist, led a nomadic lifestyle.

The family traveled in a house trailer, with Leo selling antiques on the road during winters and managing a resort in Clark Lake, Michigan, during summers. Ruth had suffered a severe mental breakdown (often described as a “nervous breakdown“) before Gloria‘s birth, which left her increasingly incapacitated.

Steinem had one older sister, Susanne Steinem Patch (born February 19, 1925; died 2007), who was nine years her senior. Susanne later became a gemologist, author, and lawyer. The parents divorced around 1944–1945, when Gloria was about 10–11 years old.

Leo moved to California, and Gloria stayed in Toledo to care for her mother in challenging conditions, including poverty and Ruth’s ongoing mental health issues. This meant Gloria did not attend school regularly until age 11 or 12. She later lived briefly with Susanne in Washington, D.C., to complete high school.

Ethnically, Steinem has mixed heritage: paternally Jewish (with roots in Germany, Poland, and earlier Eastern Europe), and maternally Scottish-German Protestant. Her paternal grandmother, Pauline Perlmutter Steinem, was a prominent suffragist who immigrated from Germany and rescued family members during the Holocaust.

Steinem is often identified with Jewish heritage through her father’s side and is included in Jewish women’s histories. Religiously, she was not raised in any formal tradition; the family was secular.

Her mother was interested in Theosophy, but Steinem has described herself as having little engagement with organized religion, later identifying as a humanist, with an appreciation for pagan or spiritual elements while critiquing patriarchal structures.

For education, Steinem attended Waite High School in Toledo and finished her senior year at Western High School in Washington, D.C. She then attended Smith College (a women’s college in Massachusetts), graduating magna cum laude in 1956 with a degree in government.

Following graduation, she studied in India for two years on a postgraduate fellowship.

Career

Gloria Steinem began her professional life as a freelance journalist in New York City after returning from India in the late 1950s. Writing for publications such as Esquire, Glamour, and Help! magazine, she encountered persistent gender discrimination in male-dominated newsrooms.

Her national breakthrough came in 1963 with “A Bunny’s Tale,” an investigative exposé for Show magazine in which she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny to document the exploitative labor conditions inside Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club.

In 1968, Steinem co-founded New York magazine and became one of its political columnists. The following year, her essay “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation” brought her widespread recognition as a leading feminist thinker.

Around the same time, her coverage of an abortion-rights hearing proved transformative, propelling her into full-time activism and establishing her as a central spokesperson for the emerging second-wave feminist movement.

Her most lasting institutional legacy came with the creation of Ms. magazine, which debuted with a preview issue in 1971 and launched as a regular publication in 1972. As the first national U.S. magazine produced by and for women, Ms. challenged traditional media norms by centering feminist perspectives without reliance on male editors or advertisers. Steinem served as an editor for fifteen years and continues to hold the title of consulting editor.

Beyond publishing, Steinem helped build the infrastructure of modern American feminism. She co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 to promote women’s participation in electoral politics, the Women’s Action Alliance in the same year to support grassroots initiatives, Voters for Choice in 1977 to defend reproductive rights, and the Women’s Media Center in 2004 to strengthen women’s representation in journalism. During the 1990s, she also helped launch Take Our Daughters to Work Day, a program designed to expand girls’ visions of their future careers.

As an author, Steinem has produced a substantial body of work that blends reporting, cultural critique, and personal reflection. Her books include Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983), Revolution from Within (1992), and the memoir My Life on the Road (2015), which later inspired the 2020 biographical film The Glorias.

Her contributions have been widely recognized, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993 and the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, along with numerous honors for journalism and public service.

Steinem remains actively engaged in public life, continuing to lecture, write, and support advocacy through Gloria’s Foundation and initiatives such as the Frontline Women’s Fund.

In 2025, she participated in gatherings focused on issues including Indigenous maternal health and appeared in documentaries examining the legacy of Ms. magazine, underscoring her enduring influence in the fight for gender equality.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Gloria Steinem
• Facebook: Gloria Steinem
• Instagram: Gloria Steinem (@gloriasteinem)
• Facebook: Gloria Steinem (@GloriaSteinem)

Personal Life

Gloria Steinem, born March 25, 1934, is currently 91 years old.

She was married once, to David Bale (an entrepreneur, environmentalist, animal rights activist, and father of actor Christian Bale) from September 3, 2000, until his death from brain lymphoma on December 30, 2003.

The marriage took place in a private Cherokee ceremony in Oklahoma when Steinem was 66. She had long critiqued traditional marriage as unequal, but noted that societal changes had made equal partnerships possible.

Steinem has no biological children. Through her marriage to Bale, she became a stepmother to his children, including Christian Bale.

Her height is consistently reported as 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters).

Before her marriage, Steinem had several high-profile relationships, remaining single for most of her life and often humorously resisting traditional expectations. Notable partners include publisher Mortimer Zuckerman (late 1980s–early 1990s, around four years), Olympian Rafer Johnson, NFL player Jim Brown, director Mike Nichols, writer Herbert Sargent, and others such as Stan Pottinger (a lawyer, in the 1970s–1980s), Franklin “Frank” Thomas, Thomas Guinzburg, Robert Benton, and Mort Sahl. No public relationships have been reported since Bale‘s death.

Net Worth

Gloria Steinem‘s net worth is estimated at $20 million.

This figure, commonly cited by sources like Celebrity Net Worth and various financial profiles, reflects earnings from her decades-long career as a journalist, author, public speaker, and co-founder of Ms. magazine. Her wealth stems primarily from book royalties (including bestsellers like My Life on the Road), lucrative speaking engagements, and real estate investments, such as her historic Upper East Side brownstone in New York City, which she has owned since the 1960s and expanded over time.

While some older or less reliable sources list lower amounts (e.g., $3–15 million), the $20 million estimate is the most consistent across recent reports. Steinem has emphasized that money should “link us” rather than rank people, aligning with her lifelong advocacy for equality.

FAQ