WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in promotions and/or demotions on the basis of pregnancy?

The term “pregnancy” includes references to ‘pregnancy’ or ‘potential pregnancy.’ It does not include job protections that narrowly apply to leave-taking alone.

Promotions and/or demotions includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination in promotions, advancement, discipline, demotions, and in certain cases, prohibition of discrimination in performance evaluations.

No prohibition means that legislation does not does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in promotions and/or demotions on the basis of pregnancy. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions means that legislation prohibits discrimination in promotions and/or demotions generally—for example, by prohibiting discrimination based on “any status” or stating no worker may be discriminated against. This general prohibition is not specifically extended on the basis of pregnancy.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of pregnancy, but does not explicitly address discrimination in promotions nor demotions on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition means that legislation either: a) extends an explicit pregnancy-based prohibition of discrimination in promotions or demotions, or b) extends a broad prohibition of pregnancy-based workplace discrimination alongside a general prohibition of discrimination in promotions or demotions to all workers.

Countries

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Azerbaijan - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bulgaria - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Bolivia - No prohibition

Bahamas - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Canada - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Colombia - No prohibition

Cabo Verde - No prohibition

Djibouti - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Dominican Republic - No prohibition

Algeria - No prohibition

Ecuador - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Greece - No prohibition

Guatemala - No prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Comoros - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

Lesotho - No prohibition

Lithuania - No prohibition

Luxembourg - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Mozambique - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Nicaragua - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Seychelles - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

Eswatini - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Timor-Leste - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Angola - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Argentina - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Cuba - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Georgia - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Iraq - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Latvia - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Malawi - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Peru - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Portugal - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Russian Federation - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Sao Tome and Principe - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Syria - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Austria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Burkina Faso - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Kuwait - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Togo - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Türkiye - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

United States of America - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Venezuela - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Andorra - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Albania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Belarus - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Belize - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

China - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Costa Rica - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

France - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Gabon - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Laos - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Sierra Leone - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Senegal - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Suriname - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Uganda - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition