Employees are protected by statutory maternity leave. Those who are self-employed are not. The result: Approximately 27,000 self-employed women in Germany face financial hardship every year just because they are pregnant and run their own businesses. The study ‘Ways to Support Self-Employed Women in the Skilled Trades During Pregnancy and Maternity Leave’ shows how this can be changed: Through a one-off, flat-rate income replacement benefit for the self-employed during the maternity leave period.
The study was funded by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Economic Affairs and carried out by the West German Chamber of Skilled Trades (WHKT) in cooperation with the Institute for SME Research (IfM) in Bonn. “The model presented today is based on surveys and analyses conducted by our institute. We have succeeded in developing a practical proposal for enshrining maternity protection for the self-employed in law, which addresses the diverse needs of the self-employed. The model provides a good basis for future legislation in this area,” said Dr Rosemarie Kay. Together with Dr Vinzenz Peters and Dr Susanne Schlepphorst, she had previously authored the studies "Self-employed craftswomen as expectant mothers – results of an NRW-wide survey" and "Maternity benefits for self-employed women".
