Self-employed women now benefit from a maternity leave as long as that of employees, 112 days, according to a decree published Wednesday in the Official Journal.
The measure that allows the independents to benefit from 38 days of additional paid leave was Emmanuel Macron's campaign promise and was included in the Social Security Financing Bill for 2019.
The approximately 20,000 women involved each year now need to take at least eight weeks of maternity leave (compared to a little over six previously), including six weeks of postnatal rest, and may take up to 16 weeks (instead of almost 11). ), which amounts to aligning their rights with those of the employees.
The measure applies retroactively to leave having started on 1 January
"Whether they are salaried or independent workers, the professional life of women must be easily compatible with a maternity project," the government said in a statement, welcoming a harmonization "from above" of "social protection related to maternity for working women ".
Until now, self-employed women have received a lump-sum allowance and flat-rate daily allowances of up to 74 days, subject to a 44-day work stoppage. The new measure applies retroactively to maternity leave starting on January 1, 2019, according to the decree.