Gloria Steinem talks parental leave, women in leadership, and saving democracy

Gloria Steinem is ensconced in a plush red armchair in her living room. On her right is Louise Mc Donald Herne, a Mohawk Bear Clan Mother, dressed in white linen with burgundy and purple ribbons. On her left is Michelle Schenandoah from the Oneida Nation Wolf Clan, creator of a show on PBS discussing rematriation: the process of centering Indigenous women’s voices and philosophies into daily life. On this Monday afternoon, Steinem’s living room is filled with 20 or so people: a diplomat from the Netherlands, a publisher, an impact investor, Emmy nominee and comedian Baratunde Thurston, as well as members of the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois) Confederacy. Steinem, 92, is the founder of Ms. magazine, who rose to prominence as a social justice activist and key figure in the second-wave feminist movement of the 1960s and ’70s, especially for her clear-eyed writing, including the classic “If Men Could Menstruate.” She has been hosting gatherings in her home for decades. Recent discussions explored the topics of AI and sexual desire. [Photo: Jalyn Jimerson] This month’s topic is the Haudenosaunee’s system of governance, which includes practices such as involving women in leadership, centering the natural world in decision-making, and thinking seven generations into the future. Many of the Haudenosaunee’s practices—such as separation of power, checks and balances, and impeachment—served as a template for America’s democracy. However, the Founding Fathers didn’t adopt other practices—such as giving women equal power. [Photo: Jalyn Jimerson] In a year filled with news about women leaving the workforce and AI gobbling up entry-level jobs while slowly destroying our planet, envisioning a better way to move forward is difficult—yet clearly necessary. One woman, the investor, comments that there was a study where people were asked to paint the future. Their paintings were dystopian. Yet, when asked to envision a better future, most people couldn’t. She not