Covid: Self-employed mothers deserve equal help
By Ellie Price
media captionCheryl Liversuch and others say the SEISS discriminates against women who took maternity leave
Tens of thousands of self-employed women who have had a baby in the last few years have been discriminated against when receiving government Covid financial support, campaigners say.
The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) was introduced alongside the furlough scheme - for salaried employees - in March last year.
But payments are worked out based on average profits made between 2016 and 2019, meaning an estimated 75,000 women who took maternity leave during that period will lose out on a proportion of the money.