Further Information

My name is Margrét Erla Maack and I am an independent entertainer, variety performer and dance instructor. In February I found out I was expecting, and since then I have been trying to figure out the system of parental leave in Iceland. My daughter will most likely be born late September/early October, and according to the communication I've had with the office of parental leave, my rights to any sort of paid leave are limited - since the months they use for calculation are not sufficient for a 100% job (more about this later). I find this unfair, since my job and income is very different from month to month.

By donating to this cause you are actually hiring me for gigs after the leave is over by getting all sorts of entertainment or perks for a very discounted price. After my three months with my daughter, her father Tómas will take over since he has a "real job" and is entitled to a paid leave.

This crowd funding will make it possible for me to be at home with my daugther for the first three months of her life and I won't have to forcefully pull her off my nipple too early. In every pledge there is a clear time stamp regarding when I can fulfill the pledge.

- Please note that all pledges must be used before 2020 is over.
- I do not perform or entertain "men only"-parties, unless it is a dance class for a bachelor party.
- Prices are according to the entertainment taking place within The Greater Reykjavík Area.

And now for the juicy stuff. Why am I not eligeble for a full maternal leave?
This is the boring and complicated paragraph. My child was not planned, but she is welcome indeed. The problem is the time that authorities use to calculate how much money I am entitled to, and during those times I was a part time employee of The Reykjavík City Theater and part time freelance. The system makes it very complicated and difficult for us who do both to figure out what we're entitled to.

If they calculate me as a freelancer I have gotten two different answers:
1. They use 12 months that end 6 months before the birth
The majority of that time I was dancing in Rocky Horror at Borgarleikhúsið most Fridays and Saturdays (that were my main entertainment income nights) - not a ful time job but a very rewarding job that I was willing to undertake at the time.
OR
2. The whole year of 2018
Where yes, I was dancing in Rocky Horror + two months unpaid on a burlesque showcase tour around Europe. So, my freelance income for that year is very little.

If they calculate me as an employee
They only use the last six months before the birth - and during that time I had no income as an employee, only as a freelancer.

So I fall in the middle either way! But again, baby is due in late September and I still have not gotten a proper answer to what rights I have.

Every time I talk about this on social media I get a lot of response from other freelancers, who talk about how complex and unfair this system is for people outside the 9-5 world. They talk about unclarity and in the end a lot of them give up and simply do not use their right to the parental leave. Behold a flood of Icelandic:

Bottomline: I am not alone. Many people have stories about unclear answers and how their freelance lives have made it complicated for them to apply for these rights.

The purpose of this crowd funding is twofold:

1. To make it possible for me to have the minimum maternal leave with my daughter.

2. To highlight the complexity of this system in Iceland for those who choose to freelance. The situation today is making it hard for independent, entrepreneurial and pioneering women to take a maternity leave. The attitude and complex answers given by the offices puts an unfair stress and strain on pregnant women.

I want to thank the staff of the tax offices and the staff of The Directorate of Labor for their good, friendly and humane services through this journey.

And finally, I want to encourage people in Parliament to do something about this. Especially those that earlier this year were concerned about the rights of unborn children. What happens after utero in terms of the parental leave and daycare?