After 50 Years, German Women's Magazine 'Emma' Publishes Final Issue

German journalist and feminist activist Alice Schwarzer, 83, announced the cessation of publication of “Emma,” the feminist magazine she founded, after 50 years of its release.

Schwarzer informed the German Press Agency (dpa) in Cologne that the December 8 issue would be the last, clarifying that economic reasons were not the decisive factor in this decision.

Schwarzer stated in a press release: “It is true that our circulation is also declining, but our revenues still cover our expenses.” She added, “No, we are stepping down because we feel we have reached our limit!”

Schwarzer noted that “Emma” had endured across three generations and had taken positions “against many absurd ideas in the name of feminism.” She added, “So allow us to say: We are now exhausted.”

Schwarzer is Germany’s most prominent feminist activist. The first issue of “Emma” was published on January 26, 1977. Reflecting on her motivations at the time, Schwarzer explained: “The hostility toward women, which we feminists called the male-dominated media, led me to conclude that we—female journalists—needed our own magazine and an independent voice.”

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Schwarzer has repeatedly called—sometimes in collaboration with populist politician Sarah Wagenknecht—for rapid peace negotiations with Russia. Critics accuse her of failing to identify the aggressor and the victim in the conflict in her positions.

In 2024, Schwarzer acknowledged that her stance on the war in Ukraine had also affected “Emma”’s subscription numbers. She noted that the magazine’s pro-peace position had received broad support from readers in 2023, but added: “Yet one in five readers canceled their subscription in protest. The aim was to hurt us, and it indeed did. Why would readers do this to a magazine that relies on subscriptions?” She emphasized at the time that she would not allow this to intimidate her.