The Forgotten Piece of Gloria Steinem's Feminism

Last week, Gloria Steinem, feminist icon, died at 92. It's yet another crushing loss of 2026.

In the wake of Steinem's death, social media has lit up with tributes to her legacy. But here's a piece of that legacy we often neglect to honor: Steinem's version of feminism has always included respect for care work, and an insistence that the rest of the world finally sit up and take notice of the social and economic value of this work.

On social media, there's a real distortion of what feminism truly is. Many say they aren't feminists because they don't want to work; they "just" want to be moms. My take? Focusing on motherhood doesn't make you any less of a feminist. What does, in my view, make you less of one? Playing into the constant cultural and systemic devaluation of care work — the work women have historically shouldered.

Steinem never had children of her own, yet she understood how essential it is to support mothers. Because ultimately, it's not just about motherhood: It's about caregiving. Caregivers in the United States are routinely under-supported. We lack paid leave, affordable childcare (and accessible elder care), economic value assigned to care work (yes, it is work), and cultural recognition of caregiving. Many people view feminism as anti-family, when in reality, causes that support caregivers are inherently feminist because they help women most of all.

Gloria Steinem, the obvious face of the feminist movement, often hailed as the mother of feminism, is proof of this. We often forget this part of her legacy, but she routinely championed caregivers. She partnered with maternal activism organizations. She spoke, loudly and openly, about the need for economic recognition of care work. She lived the caregiver experience as a caregiver to her mother...and she paid it forward. She worked to create a version of feminism that honored family life, not lured people away from it, as some like to suggest.

To truly honor her legacy, we must remember this.