Status: 12/26/2022 02:07 am
Federal Family Minister Paus is planning further reforms of family policy. Maternity protection should also apply to the self-employed. And paternity leave after a birth should be regulated in maternity leave.
Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus spoke out in favor of improving maternity leave for the self-employed. “Equal treatment between the self-employed and employees is not easy. But it must also be possible for the self-employed to start a family without too many obstacles,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Therefore, we should also allow freelance work for the self-employed.” Paus did not go into further detail.
Protection periods before and after childbirth
The Maternity Protection Act, which provides for protection periods before and after childbirth and income security during the employment ban, has not yet applied to pregnant and breastfeeding women who work exclusively independently. Since 2017, self-employed women with private daily sickness allowance insurance have been entitled to payment of the agreed daily sickness allowance during the maternity protection periods.
As can be read on the Ministry’s family portal, self-employed persons who are voluntarily insured with a statutory health insurance company receive maternity benefit in the amount of the sickness benefit from the health insurance company during the maternity protection periods. It is crucial that the entitlement to sick pay is also secured.
New regulation for paternity leave
Paus also announced that in future the planned paternity leave for the first two weeks after a birth on maternity leave would be regulated. According to the minister, the money for this should come from a fund at the Federal Ministry of Health, which is fed by the employers.
Paus named January 1, 2024 as the start date for paternity leave. “We want to do this with a longer lead time so that everyone can prepare for it,” she said. “For small and medium-sized companies, such exemptions are not easy, especially in the crisis.”
Paus emphasized: “We want to ensure that partners no longer have to take regular vacation time if they want to be there for their child after the birth. The first two weeks are of the utmost importance for the newborn and the parents. And the time off is supportive parents in their desire for a partnership-based division of tasks.”