Eva Herman

Eva Herman (born Eva Feldker 9 November 1958 in Emden, Lower Saxony) is a German author and former television presenter. She worked as a news presenter on the nationwide Tagesschau news programme from 1989 to 2006 and also presented various other television programmes for the Norddeutscher Rundfunk until 2007. In 2003, an opinion poll by TNS Emnid declared Herman to be "Germany's favourite presenter". However, a number of her statements in books and the media regarding gender roles and family values led to widespread public controversy in 2006 and her dismissal from the German national broadcaster ARD the following year.

Controversies

Herman in 2006 and 2007 published two controversially received books regarding to her beliefs on gender roles and family policy. Herman strongly believes in the difference between the sexes. Her article "Die Emanzipation - ein Irrtum?" (Emancipation - a fallacy?) describes her controversial opinions on the causes behind a drop in birth rate in Germany: she believes they stem from the Feminist movement forcing women out of their natural place in the traditional family. Her understanding of female emancipation is that it calls for women to become like men. She refers to working as a 'masculine' attribute, and warns that although women can pursue talents outside the home in moderation, working outside of the home too much risks women becoming 'masculine beings', thus reducing the birth rate.

Publications

Fiction

• Dann kamst du, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-455-02770-9
• Aber Liebe ist es nicht, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-455-02771-7

Non-fiction

• Fernsehfrauen in Deutschland. Im Gespräch mit Eva Herman, Krüger, Frankfurt a. M. 2001, ISBN 3-8105-0930-2
• Vom Glück des Stillens. Körpernähe und Zärtlichkeit zwischen Mutter und Kind. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-455-09405-8
• Eva Herman, Stephan Valentin: Mein Kind schläft durch - der natürliche Weg zu ruhigen Nächten für Groß und Klein. Econ, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-430-14462-0
• Das Eva-Prinzip. Für eine neue Weiblichkeit, Pendo, Starnberg 2006, ISBN 3-86612-105-9
• Gedanken zu Brustkrebs, Eva Herman ist "Schirmherrin" der Firmenschrift des Pharmakonzerns Hoffmann La Roche. Ars tempi, Köln 2006, ISBN 3-00-018629-8
• Liebe Eva Herman! Briefe und Mails an die Autorin des Eva-Prinzips. Pendo, Zürich, Munich 2007, ISBN 3-86612-125-3
• Das Prinzip Arche Noah. Warum wir die Familie retten müssen. Pendo, Zürich, Munich 2007, ISBN 3-86612-133-4
• Das Überlebensprinzip. Warum wir die Schöpfung nicht täuschen können. Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-7751-4884-9