Nearly a decade ago, feminist icon Gloria Steinem sat down with The Globe and Mail’s Ian Brown for a candid conversation that traversed the landscape of her remarkable career, her evolving thoughts on gender equality, and the craft of writing that first brought her voice to a global audience. Originally published in 2015, the interview remains a striking portrait of one of the most influential activists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Now resurfacing from the archives, the exchange offers a window into Steinem’s mind at a pivotal juncture — a time when conversations about feminism, identity, and social justice were reshaping public discourse in ways that still resonate today.
A Career Built on Words
Steinem’s journey into journalism was never a conventional one. Long before she became synonymous with the feminist movement, she was carving out a space for herself in a male-dominated industry, penning pieces that challenged the status quo and forced readers to confront uncomfortable truths. During the 2015 conversation with Brown, she reflected on those early years with the clarity of someone who understood just how much had shifted — and how much work remained.
Writing, for Steinem, was never simply an act of reporting. It was, as she often described, a means of bearing witness. Her stories gave voice to women whose experiences had long been ignored or dismissed, and her prose carried a moral weight that transcended the pages of any single magazine.
The State of Equality Then and Now
When Brown pressed her on the state of gender equality in 2015, Steinem offered neither optimism nor despair but something more nuanced: a recognition that progress had been substantial, yet incomplete. She spoke about the persistence of wage gaps, the continuing burden of caregiving disproportionately falling on women, and the cultural expectations that continued to constrain individual choice.
The conversation also touched on the generational shifts she had witnessed. Younger women, she noted, were approaching feminism with a different vocabulary and a broader sense of inclusivity — one that recognised the intersecting struggles of race, class, sexuality, and gender. This evolution, she suggested, was not a dilution of the movement but a deepening of it.
Reflections on Activism and Influence
Steinem’s role as a public figure has often invited scrutiny, and the 2015 interview did not shy away from difficult questions. She addressed criticisms, reflected on the responsibilities that came with her platform, and shared candid thoughts about what it meant to be a symbol for a movement that was always greater than any single individual.
There was a warmth and wit to her responses that revealed the woman behind the legend — someone who could laugh at the absurdities of fame while remaining deeply serious about the causes that had defined her life. Brown, known for his thoughtful and probing style, drew out responses that were both reflective and forward-looking.
A Conversation That Still Speaks
Reading the interview today, more than eight years later, one is struck by how prescient much of Steinem’s commentary proved to be. The issues she discussed — pay equity, representation, the politics of identity, the power of storytelling — have only intensified in the intervening years. Her insistence that equality is not a women’s issue but a human one remains a touchstone for contemporary activism.
The piece also serves as a reminder of the enduring value of long-form journalism. In an era of fleeting headlines and truncated attention spans, the depth of that 2015 exchange feels almost radical. Two people, sitting across from one another, grappling with the big questions of their time.
Why it Matters
Gloria Steinem’s 2015 conversation with Ian Brown is more than a nostalgic relic from the archives — it is a living document that captures a transformative figure at a moment of reflection. Her insights on equality, writing, and the slow, stubborn work of cultural change continue to resonate with readers who may not have been alive during the second wave of feminism but who are now navigating their own chapters in that ongoing story. Revisiting such interviews is essential, not merely as historical record, but as a way to understand how far society has come, and how far it still has to go.
