Maternity protection for the self-employed: Government seeks solutions

Master carpenter Johanna Röh continues to fight tirelessly for a reform of maternity protection for the self-employed. The Bundestag's Petitions Committee has now assured her that the federal government is working on a solution to the problem.

This article is part of the special feature on women in the trades.

Pregnancy should not threaten one's livelihood. "We need a comprehensive reform of maternity protection," says master carpenter Johanna Röh . Her petition #meinewerkstattbleibt (my workshop stays) has garnered 111.794 supporters.

Self-employed pregnant women should enjoy the same statutory maternity protection as employees, according to the petition Johanna Röh submitted in Berlin in early summer while still pregnant. She is now a mother to a young daughter and continues to tirelessly fight against the maternity protection trap for the self-employed.

Johanna Röh in her workshop Photo: © Heimat Werbeagentur GmbH

During a public meeting of the Petitions Committee in the Paul-Löbe-Haus on Monday (September 26), Parliamentary State Secretaries Ekin Deligöz (Alliance 90/The Greens; Federal Ministry for Family Affairs) and Franziska Brantner (Alliance 90/The Greens; Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy) made it clear to Johanna Röh and her colleagues that the Federal Government is working on a solution to the problem of the lack of maternity protection. And they are working on it "intensively".

Working together on a solution

"We are very grateful for the broad support we are receiving from all parties for this issue. This shows us that the problem has been understood," Johanna Röh reports the morning after her visit to Berlin.

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"Furthermore, we believe that for a successful and, above all, helpful change to the conditions for those affected, it is important that the parties work together on a solution . This is precisely what is needed now in this situation and sends the crucial signal to us affected parties – that the issue at hand is what matters."

Prevent pregnancy-related business closures

State Secretary for Economic Affairs Franziska Brantner reported on Monday that the issue had reached her ministry. A working group had been established to work with associations and those affected to find solutions. Brantner invited Röh to participate. "We must find solutions, even if they are not trivial," the State Secretary said.

The petition aims to ensure that pregnancy does not pose a threat to one's livelihood and that pregnancy does not lead to inequality of opportunity in the labor market . "Especially for female founders, female CEOs in capital-intensive industries, and self-employed women in physically demanding professions, instruments must be created to prevent business closures due to pregnancy," says Johanna Röh.

Read more about the petition #meinewerkstattbleibt and Johanna Röh's concerns here.

Working as a self-employed person on the construction site during pregnancy

While a female carpenter who was employed would have immediately received a company-imposed ban on working with full pay upon learning of her pregnancy , she continued to work on the construction site to ensure the survival of her business, the master carpenter told the members of the petitions committee.

Had she gone bankrupt , she would have lost the capital that had flowed into the business in recent years, her trainee would have had to find a new apprenticeship, and she would have had to rebuild the business later or find employment.

"Perhaps even with a master carpenter who can easily balance family and business because he's not the one having the child." That's not equal opportunity , she said. During the coronavirus pandemic, Röh pointed out, it was possible to support businesses. "We expect the same from us," she emphasized. Currently, however, she could have applied for household help, but not business support.

Farm assistance based on the agricultural model

The maternity protection law does not cover the self-employed, as it requires employers to create protected zones for female employees, explained State Secretary for Families Ekin Deligöz. She added that protective measures could be available through private and statutory health insurance , but these would also be limited.

Deligöz found the model from agriculture interesting. There, it's already possible to apply for farm relief. She said she was in talks with the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) to create a similar system for craft businesses . It could be implemented through the professional associations , she added.

Austria, for example, does this through contributions from the self-employed, Deligöz explained. Lawyer Angela Heinssen , who had accompanied Johanna Röh , advocated for a swift solution before the committee . It might cost something, she said, but the returns, even in the short term, through the establishment of new companies, the acquisition of craft businesses, and the safeguarding of medical practices in rural areas, would be invaluable.

Source: hib

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