Gloria Steinem's Feminist Vision Faces a Powerful Conservative Countermovement

Gloria Steinem, who became the face of the modern feminist movement after finding her voice in the fight for abortion rights, died on Wednesday at the age of 92. Her passing comes at a moment when the very ideals she championed are facing their most organized challenge in decades.

Steinem's activism was rooted in the belief that women could not achieve true equality without controlling their reproductive lives. That principle, central to the late-1960s feminist wave, helped reshape American society, pulling millions of women into the workforce and transforming family dynamics. Yet, despite these gains, persistent wage gaps and underrepresentation in corporate and political leadership remain.

The latter years of Steinem's life saw a resurgence of a conservative backlash. The Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade eliminated the federal right to abortion, leading to strict bans in numerous states. Steinem described this as a setback for democracy, but for many religious conservatives, it was a victory that emboldened a movement to reassert traditional gender roles.

This countermovement, amplified by figures within the Trump administration and influential think tanks, now encourages young women to prioritize marriage and motherhood over careers. Critics of feminism argue it devalued family life, with some, like Heritage Foundation analyst Emma Waters, suggesting that the most countercultural act for a young woman today is to embrace a traditional path. Proposals from such groups include financial incentives for marrying before age 30.

Steinem, who never had children and called it a choice she never regretted, remained a fierce advocate for reproductive choice. Her journey began after attending a 1969 meeting on abortion rights, where she spoke publicly for the first time about her own secret abortion in London.

The landscape she helped change is starkly different today. Women now make up a far larger share of the workforce, and laws prohibit the credit discrimination and pregnancy-based firing that were once routine. While even some conservatives affirm these basic rights, others in power have amplified more radical views, including questioning women's suffrage.

Women's advocacy groups see the push against reproductive rights and the framing of feminism as anti-family as intertwined attempts to limit women's autonomy. They argue that policies like paid family leave and affordable childcare are the true pro-family measures, enabling women to balance careers and motherhood.

Despite the setbacks, historians like Estelle Freedman argue that feminism's integration into the fabric of American life makes its momentum difficult to stop. The economy itself now relies on female participation. Freedman noted that Steinem provided crucial continuity for the movement over half a century, ensuring that the long-haul work of the struggle remains visible.