As the law currently stands, new mothers in employment are guaranteed 18 weeks maternity leave ON FULL PAY; the first 14 weeks paid by the employer and the last 4 weeks subsidized by the government. A woman in self-employment however, is entitled to a standard rate of EUR166.26/week for the first 14 weeks and a further 169.76 for the last 4 weeks. This means that regardless of the woman's salary, she receives between EUR665.04 - EUR679.04 a month. Eliminate this discrimination.
Maternity and paternity leave benefit for self-employed persons should be based on their annual self-assessments and not at a flat rate of EUR665.04/month. Everyone deserves to enjoy and treasure their family, whether they are employed, self-employed, entrepreneurs or business men and women. Do not force the next Marie Curie or Steve Jobs into employment or worse still condemn them to a life of loneliness, simply because they cannot afford a family.
This content is created by the open source Your Priorities citizen engagement platform designed by the non profit Citizens Foundation