WORLD Policy Analysis Center

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Is there at least some explicit legislative prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status?

The term “maternal status” includes gender-neutral references to caregiving (‘parenthood’, ‘having children’, workers with ‘family responsibilities’), and gender specific references to ‘motherhood’ or ‘maternity.’ For the purposes of this variable, the term “maternal status” captures all of these definitions, but it does not capture job protections that narrowly apply to mothers’ leave-taking alone.

No means that country legislation does not explicitly prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of maternal status broadly, nor specifically against discrimination in hiring, promotions and/or demotions, training, pay, nor terminations.

Yes means that country legislation does explicitly prohibit at least one of these forms of workplace discrimination on the basis of maternal status.

Countries

United Arab Emirates - No

Afghanistan - No

Antigua and Barbuda - No

Azerbaijan - No

Bangladesh - No

Benin - No

Central African Republic - No

Republic of the Congo - No

China - No

Cuba - No

Micronesia, Federated States of - No

United Kingdom - No

Ghana - No

Guinea-Bissau - No

Haiti - No

India - No

Iraq - No

Iran - No

Japan - No

Kenya - No

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No

Republic of Korea - No

Kazakhstan - No

Laos - No

Libya - No

Madagascar - No

Marshall Islands - No

Mali - No

Mauritania - No

Mozambique - No

Niger - No

Nepal - No

Nauru - No

Oman - No

Papua New Guinea - No

The Philippines - No

Palau - No

Qatar - No

Saudi Arabia - No

Solomon Islands - No

Seychelles - No

Sudan - No

San Marino - No

El Salvador - No

Chad - No

Tajikistan - No

Timor-Leste - No

Turkmenistan - No

Tonga - No

Trinidad and Tobago - No

United States of America - No

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No

Yemen - No

Argentina - Yes

Australia - Yes

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes

Burkina Faso - Yes

Brazil - Yes

Belize - Yes

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Yes

Switzerland - Yes

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes

Chile - Yes

Costa Rica - Yes

Cabo Verde - Yes

Cyprus - Yes

Czech Republic - Yes

Dominican Republic - Yes

Egypt - Yes

Spain - Yes

Fiji - Yes

France - Yes

Gabon - Yes

Greenland - Yes

The Gambia - Yes

Guinea - Yes

Equatorial Guinea - Yes

Greece - Yes

Guatemala - Yes

Guyana - Yes

Israel - Yes

Italy - Yes

Kyrgyzstan - Yes

St. Kitts and Nevis - Yes

St. Lucia - Yes

Liechtenstein - Yes

Lithuania - Yes

Luxembourg - Yes

Latvia - Yes

Montenegro - Yes

North Macedonia - Yes

Malta - Yes

Mauritius - Yes

Malawi - Yes

Mexico - Yes

Nicaragua - Yes

The Netherlands - Yes

Norway - Yes

New Zealand - Yes

Peru - Yes

Serbia - Yes

Russian Federation - Yes

Sierra Leone - Yes

South Sudan - Yes

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes

Syria - Yes

Togo - Yes

Tuvalu - Yes

Uzbekistan - Yes

Samoa - Yes

South Africa - Yes

Zambia - Yes