Overview

• Family Minister Karin Prien told RND she plans to submit a proposal to the Bundestag at the start of next year to give self-employed women statutory Mutterschutz.
• The concrete design remains undecided, with financing identified as the central challenge.
• Prien ruled out introducing a levy comparable to employees’ Umlage for the self-employed, citing additional financial burden.
• The coalition agreement between Union and SPD mandates a review of levy-based and other suitable financing models to enable full benefits.
• Current law covers employees, trainees and students, leaving self-employed women to rely on voluntary insurance or savings; Prien said she once had to self-fund time off as a lawyer.