Equalise maternity allowance with statutory pay & don’t reduce Universal Credit
We urge the Government to equalise maternity, paternity and adoption allowances with statutory maternity pay for self-employed workers and ensure that maternity allowance pay does not reduce Universal Credit pay. We believe families shouldn’t be penalised for being self-employed.
Signatures
60
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 60/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 60/100,000
- 24 MAR 2026Petition closedFinal total: 60 signatures
- 24 SEPT 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
Many women are self-employed or running their own businesses, yet we feel the maternity pay system has not kept up. Self-employed mothers only receive maternity allowance, which can be far lower and less flexible than statutory maternity pay available to employees. We believe this leaves many families financially vulnerable at a time when they should be supported and the current system is outdated.