Master carpenter Johanna Röh is expecting her first child in a few weeks and is committed to reforming maternity protection for self-employed female craftspeople and promoting farm assistance based on the agricultural model. (Photo: © HENNING SCHEFFEN PHOTOGRAPHY)
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Women in Crafts - Special Features
April 2022
Pregnancy shouldn't threaten one's livelihood. "We need a comprehensive reform of maternity protection," says master carpenter Johanna Röh. She started the petition #meinewerkstattbleibt (MyWorkshopStays). Read what the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has to say about it.
Master carpenter Johanna Röh is pregnant. She's expecting her first child in a few weeks. She doesn't look happy on her Instagram account . "Pregnant and self-employed – it seems like this scenario simply wasn't considered," the 34-year-old explains. Pregnant employees are protected. "As a self-employed person, I have to be able to afford not to work, since there's no real, effective insurance coverage for pregnancy ."
This inequality of opportunity is something that troubles Johanna Röh, and she writes about it under the hashtag #meinewerkstattbleibt (my workshop stays). "I wouldn't have thought how poorly this step fits into the system," she says. "If my husband were the self-employed master carpenter and I were employed in an office, then we wouldn't have any problem at all."
Together with two fellow campaigners, the craftswoman launched a petition on the Change.org platform . It calls for a reform of maternity protection and the establishment of a farm relief service similar to the one that exists in agriculture. Johanna Röh has struck a chord.
Within four weeks, over 50.000 signatures were collected. Many female craftswomen, as well as midwives and other self-employed women, describe having to close their businesses or experiencing severe setbacks after giving birth.
You can still sign until the end of April , then the petition will go to decision-makers such as Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and Federal Minister for Family Affairs Anne Spiegel.
The timing for her first child seemed perfect. In 2018, Johanna Röh fulfilled a dream by opening her own workshop. After four years as a journeyman carpenter, traveling to places like Japan, Canada, and New Zealand, passing her master craftsman's exam, and completing further training as a restorer in the carpentry trade, she focused entirely on starting her own business.
"Self-employment has started well, the order books are full, everything is great so far," says the ambassador of the " The Craft" campaign.
"Our profession is in demand. People want individual, sustainable and durable furniture." The ZDF documentary series 37° features a report on the career of the young carpenter.
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Early in her pregnancy, she was confronted with the obstacles that self-employed women in the trades face. As an employed carpenter, Johanna Röh would have been immediately prohibited from working . The health risks in the carpentry trade are too serious for both the pregnant woman and the baby.
As a self-employed person, she had to continue working until she developed severe morning sickness (hyperemesis) , which lasted until the end of her fifth month. However, her health insurance company paid her very little sick pay for this period. "Because the money for the jobs came in at different times, I therefore earned too little beforehand and too much during my illness." She is still in dispute with the insurance company to this day.
Quote from Johanna Röh: "The consequences of climate change and the resulting measures, especially in the construction and energy sectors, can only be managed through greater diversity in company management."
Once the nausea subsided, the carpenter faced the question of what work she was even allowed to do and how she would cover the ongoing costs. "If I didn't have the privilege of receiving support from the Arthur Francke Foundation and my husband earning enough to support me during my pregnancy, I wouldn't be able to support myself or cover the business's overhead during this time."
Her husband works as a commercial clerk and will take parental leave so that Johanna Röh can return to the workshop after her two months as a partner. The apprentice can continue her training at a partner company, while the journeyman will take a break. "I'm in this fortunate situation, but what if the pregnancy had been unwanted and I was alone?" asks the entrepreneur. That would mean the end of the business.
Free temporary staff to step in when the owner is unavailable currently only exist in agriculture. The Federal Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts is also advocating for temporary staffing in the skilled trades sector, but so far without success.
In a few days, Johanna Röh will start Maternity ProtectionThe statutory health insurance then pays a maximum of 13 euros per calendar day. For employees, the employer makes up the difference to the average net wage. "Self-employed people have to build up a financial cushion for maternity leave and the postpartum period before pregnancy, which is difficult to impossible during the start-up phase with high fixed costs," says Johanna Röh. "It's time for something to change." She would like a solution where everyone contributes through a pay-as-you-go system.
The sculptor Astrid Hilt from the association CraftsGreen and Maxime Krämer contacted Johanna Röh. Together with other affected individuals, they developed demands and launched the petition. Today, one in five craft businesses is run by a woman. "This could certainly be expanded through functional and well-thought-out protection during pregnancy. This would not only create equal opportunities and justice, but would also address the problem of the shortage of skilled workers and the lack of business successors," say the initiators of the petition.
"The situation for pregnant business owners is indeed difficult," agrees the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) . The governing coalition has announced its intention to support women in the skilled trades. Now it is up to politicians to find solutions for women who take the risk of self-employment, emphasizes the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) in Berlin. A business owner's pregnancy should not pose an existential risk to the business.
Johanna Röh is right to point out a sensitive issue. The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) is in talks with the federal government to improve the situation of pregnant self-employed craftswomen and to secure stronger social security for them. The association also considers the farm relief model, based on the agricultural system, to be a good approach. "Such farm relief would be a service for society as a whole and should therefore be financed through tax revenue, not contributions."
For Johanna Röh, none of that would help, at least not with her first child. For her, it's now "a matter of principle." The trades need female entrepreneurs, especially to master the enormous challenges of the future . She says: "Here in this area, I have no competition and my business could be a role model for other young entrepreneurs. This should continue to be the story of a successful startup in a rural area."
The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs confirmed to the German trade journal "Deutsches Handwerksblatt" that the Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG) applies only to a very limited extent to self-employed women. "Furthermore, self-employed women are not covered by the provisions of the Maternity Protection Act. The reason for this is that self-employed individuals are responsible for organizing their work and their working conditions," said a ministry spokesperson. The same applies to their financial security.
Unlike employees, they are not dependent on how the employer organizes working conditions. Furthermore, the legal system does not leave self-employed women unprotected , the ministry spokesperson emphasized.
"Particularly during the protection periods according to Section 3, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Maternity Protection Act, privately insured women with daily sickness allowance insurance are generally entitled to benefits from the insurance company due to loss of earnings. There are currently no concrete plans to reform maternity protection for self-employed women."
In certain circumstances , however, it can be difficult for self-employed individuals to secure an adequate standard of maternity protection that is essentially equivalent to that afforded to employees. "How an adequate standard of maternity protection can be facilitated or ensured for the self-employed, for example through appropriate maternity protection regulations in professional codes of conduct , is therefore subject to ongoing review."
Signatures are being collected for the petition at change.org/meinewerkstattbleibt until the end of April. These will then be sent to political decision-makers. These are the demands:
A self-employed person receives a maximum of €13 per day in sick pay. Considering the running costs of a business, this isn't even a drop in the ocean. Fully paid maternity leave is being demanded.
Compensation payments should also be extended to pregnant self-employed persons in occupations that are subject to the employment ban for employed pregnant women.
In the case of sick leave due to pregnancy-related complications, payment of daily sickness benefit is required from the first day of sick leave. Delayed payments may not be counted toward sickness benefit calculations.
Emergency funds are needed to protect the businesses of self-employed pregnant women from insolvency. The financial livelihood of pregnant women must be guaranteed.
The call is for the establishment of farm assistance based on the agricultural model in order to provide unbureaucratic and free assistance to businesses from other economic sectors.
Previous pregnancy-related financial losses must be able to be earned tax-free.
A bonus is being demanded for companies that employ trainees during their pregnancy-related absence.
The company’s ability to operate must be guaranteed.
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