Work–family reconciliation in the skilled trades: entrepreneurship and motherhood

HOLZ‑HANDWERK brings the skilled trades together while also addressing issues that go far beyond technology, materials and processes. At the HOLZ‑HANDWERK Arena 2026, key future challenges for the sector took centre stage: recruiting skilled workers, new working realities and the entrepreneurial conditions under which businesses are run today.

One of these discussions focused on a question that directly affects many self‑employed professionals: How can entrepreneurship, pregnancy and family life be reconciled?

One of the central voices on stage was Johanna Röh – master craftswoman, entrepreneur, mother and initiator of the movement “Mutterschutz für Alle!” (“Maternity Protection for All”). In this interview, she talks about systemic gaps, personal experience and why these issues are not just about individual women, but about the future viability of the skilled trades as a whole.

Ms Röh, when did you first realise that, as a self‑employed mother in the skilled trades, you would encounter structural limits?

In fact, even before my pregnancy I was aware that this would be difficult. At that time, I was still employed, but I already felt that I didn’t want to wait until family planning and self‑employment somehow “fit” perfectly. I made a very conscious decision to start my own business – knowing full well that a pregnancy could bring challenges.
What I completely underestimated, however, was the fundamental nature of the problem. This isn’t about isolated hurdles; it’s about the fact that pregnancy in self‑employment is not accounted for structurally at all. My impression was that this scenario simply isn’t provided for within the system.

Which situations showed you most clearly that the current maternity protection system for the self‑employed is inadequate?

I had deliberately taken out insurance to receive sick pay and assumed that this would at least provide a certain level of security. In practice, however, it quickly became apparent that these systems are not designed to adequately cover such life situations.
The conditions are often unclear, and even insurance providers themselves frequently lack detailed knowledge of the regulations. In addition, the assessment period coincided precisely with a phase in which my income was already reduced due to investments and pregnancy‑related symptoms – meaning that the benefit ultimately amounted to almost nothing.
When I was then told that I was no longer allowed to do a single task in my business while receiving sick pay – no phone calls, no organisation, no invoicing – the absurdity of the system became particularly obvious. At the same time, there is no form of protection for ongoing business costs. Being advised to take out a loan to cover these expenses showed me just how far removed this system is from reality.

How do you experience the skilled trades as a woman and a mother – where does it already work well, and where is support lacking?

I have created my own niche and defined very clearly how I want to work. In everyday practice, that can function quite well – after all, skilled trades are practised by people, not by men or women.
However, when it comes to structural issues, individual solutions quickly reach their limits: legal frameworks, social security systems, and the way pregnancy is classified. And this is where it becomes very clear that women are systematically disadvantaged. Pregnancy is not treated as part of economic reality, but as a risk – with potentially existential consequences.
This is not only a personal challenge; it represents a clear competitive disadvantage compared to male colleagues. That is the key point for me: at a micro level, many things work. At a macro level, the system does not.

Why did you found the initiative “Mutterschutz für Alle!” and what do you want to change politically?

During my own pregnancy, I had a strong sense of simply not being considered within the system. At the same time, it became clear very quickly that I was far from alone in this experience. Many women reached out with similar stories.
At the same time, the skilled trades constantly discuss the shortage of young talent, business succession and the need for more women to start businesses or take over companies. Yet at precisely the moment when these women have children, they are left alone with the economic risk. That is a contradiction.
Our goal is therefore clear: a legal framework that does not push self‑employed women into economic marginalisation during pregnancy, but instead enables them to continue running their businesses while having children. This is not purely a social issue – it is an economic necessity. We simply cannot afford to lose these entrepreneurs.

What advice would you give to women who want to become self‑employed in the skilled trades and are planning a family?

Under the current conditions, I unfortunately have to say this: if it is possible to become pregnant while in employment, that is often the safer route – even though the very fact that this is the case highlights how flawed the situation is.
If self‑employment and pregnancy coincide, it is crucial to engage very early and very thoroughly with insurance and protection options. The availability of information has improved compared to a few years ago, and as an initiative, we also provide knowledge and first‑hand experience.
At the same time, it is important to emphasise one thing: the problem does not lie with the women. It lies with the framework conditions. That is why my advice is always twofold: follow your path – but build networks, educate yourselves, and work together to change the system itself.