They don't just have office jobs: 89 percent of female tradeswomen regularly perform physical tasks during pregnancy, from which employees would be protected. (Photo: © mrwed54/123RF.com)
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July 21, 2025
Self-employed female craftswomen often work until a few days before the birth of their child and return to their business shortly afterward. There is no statutory maternity protection for them. The IfM Bonn surveyed female craftswomen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
There is still no statutory maternity protection for self-employed women. Pregnancy therefore often represents an enormous strain for self-employed tradeswomen – both physically and financially. One in two self-employed tradeswomen work until a few days before giving birth. Just as many return to their business – at least on an hourly basis – within the first four weeks.
One in four self-employed female craftswomen even returns to work full-time just six weeks after giving birth. And almost all pregnant female craftswomen (89 percent) regularly perform physical tasks during pregnancy from which employees would be protected – such as regularly lifting heavy loads, working in a bent position, handling hazardous substances, or loud noises.
This is one of the findings of a survey conducted in North Rhine-Westphalia by the IfM Bonn on behalf of the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Economic Affairs and the West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts (WHKT). 950 self-employed female craftspeople participated. The study results underscore the importance of statutory maternity protection for the self-employed. Only 22 percent of craft businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia have a female owner. Many women are deterred from self-employment due to the potential risk of pregnancy.
Action days for maternity protection for self-employed female craftspeople: Johanna Röh, a self-employed master carpenter, and the association "Maternity Protection for All" she founded have been tirelessly campaigning for years. To engage in dialogue with politicians and raise awareness of the problem of inadequate maternity protection, the alliance is planning action days for maternity protection for the self-employed in Berlin around October 9th and 10th.
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➔ Most female tradeswomen only completely stop working a few days before giving birth. One in two self-employed tradeswomen only stop working completely a week or less before giving birth.
➔ About every second female craftswoman surveyed returned to work within four weeks with reduced hours.
➔ One in four self-employed craftswomen is back in business just six weeks after giving birth, working to the same extent as before the pregnancy.
➔ 89 percent of respondents regularly performed physical activities during pregnancy that would lead to protective measures or employment bans for employees.
➔ Three out of four respondents feel affected by increased psychological stress.
➔ During the maternity leave period, only 29 percent of respondents received sick pay or daily sickness benefit from their health insurance provider.
➔ More than 80 percent of respondents would consider the introduction of a pay-as-you-go maternity allowance to be sensible, and around 40 percent also see the introduction of company assistance as a sensible model.
➔ The clear majority feel poorly informed about the available insurance options during pregnancy.
➔ While sales for around half of those affected by sales losses only reach their previous level after one year at the earliest, for more than a third this is not the case even after three years.
"I have great respect for all the female craftswomen who run their businesses with creativity, courage, and perseverance. These women are skilled workers we urgently depend on. It is unacceptable that they are left without any legal protection during such a sensitive phase of their lives. Those who work hard physically until shortly before giving birth and then immediately return to work need not only recognition – but also concrete support."
"While dependent employees are financially supported before and after the birth of their child through maternity allowance and the employer's contribution to maternity allowance, self-employed mothers have no legal entitlement to income replacement benefits. While they can privately cushion their loss of earnings due to pregnancy and maternity through sickness benefit or daily sickness benefit insurance, many self-employed craftswomen are unaware of this insurance option or have consciously opted against it."
"Currently, only around 22 percent of skilled trades businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia are run by women. It is no longer justifiable to forgo women as skilled workers and managers. However, balancing family and career is a particular challenge for self-employed female skilled tradeswomen, as they disproportionately often engage in physically demanding activities. In the event of pregnancy, this means that self-employed female skilled tradeswomen either suffer a loss of earnings or have to perform tasks that employees are no longer permitted to perform. We want to support even more women in their careers in the skilled trades and are therefore committed to improving the framework conditions."
"What is considered an unreasonable risk for employees is often everyday life for the self-employed – because otherwise they bear the economic risk of jeopardizing their business. The impression is overwhelming: health risks are not taken out of a lack of responsibility – but rather because of a lack of protection. Pregnancy is no different just because the expectant mother is self-employed. The reality in practice is also that even those who have taken out insurance often remain unprotected. Sick pay or daily sickness benefit is only paid if no activity is carried out in the company during the reference period. No accounting, no communication with customers, no training of employees. At the same time, ongoing operating costs such as rent, leasing, or wages are not covered. The basis for calculation is also a problem, especially for female founders. Insuring sickness (daily) benefit sounds like a good option, but in many cases is only a theoretical solution. There are no institutional counseling services, and even health insurance companies are often not sufficiently informed. And women who want to have children are then expected to take out expensive supplementary insurance, which ultimately has little effect in practice – the is reality."
From the results, the skilled trades and interest groups, in cooperation with the IfM Bonn, want to develop concrete recommendations for action in order to specifically improve the situation of pregnant women and mothers in the skilled trades.
Source: ifm Bonn
About the study: The survey was conducted as part of the project "Feasibility study: Ways of supporting self-employed people in the skilled trades during pregnancy and maternity" , which is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Climate Protection and Energy (MWIKE) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and carried out by the West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts (WHKT).
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