Germany is making a major change to its maternity protection laws, aiming to better support women during pregnancy, especially those who are self-employed and those who experience miscarriages after the 13th week. This new initiative was announced in the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD.

Until now, maternity protection in Germany only applied to women in regular employment, regardless of their marital status or nationality, as long as they worked in Germany or under German law. This protection included paid leave, safeguards against dismissal, and rules to ensure the health and safety of mothers and their babies. Employers were required to follow these rules strictly.

Starting June 1, 2025, the law will expand in two important ways:

Self-employed women will be included  in maternity protection for the first time. This is a big shift, since about 5.8% of working women in Germany are self-employed and previously had no access to these benefits. Women who suffer a miscarriage after the 13th week of pregnancy will now be covered. Before, only miscarriages after the 24th week qualified for maternity protection. Now, women who miscarry after week 13 can take two weeks off, after week 16 they can take six weeks, and after week 19, eight weeks. This change addresses the emotional and physical recovery needed after such a loss. 

The usual maternity leave remains six weeks before the due date and eight weeks after birth, for a total of 14 weeks. During this time, women cannot be fired and cannot be forced to work if it would harm them or their child. Employers must do their best to keep women employed during maternity leave and ensure their income is protected.

Housewives and adoptive mothers are still not covered by these protections, and this is unlikely to change soon. The government is looking at different ways to finance these changes, including working with insurance companies to help businesses adjust. There will also be an information campaign to make sure everyone understands the new rules.

There has been debate about whether these protections go far enough, especially for self-employed women who often struggle to balance work and family. Supporters say the changes are an important step for gender equality and recognize the challenges faced by self-employed mothers. Critics worry about how small businesses will manage the new requirements.