WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discriminatory workplace harassment 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.

No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discriminatory harassment on the basis of pregnancy. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of harassment means that legislation prohibits discriminatory harassment 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 on the basis of pregnancy means that legislation broadly protects individuals from workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, but does not explicitly address workplace harassment. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition means that legislation either extends: a) an explicit prohibition of discriminatory harassment on the basis of pregnancy, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy alongside a general prohibition of discriminatory workplace harassment to all workers.

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Angola - No prohibition

Azerbaijan - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bulgaria - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Brazil - No prohibition

Bahamas - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Belarus - No prohibition

Canada - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Dominican Republic - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Grenada - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Guatemala - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Israel - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

Lesotho - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Malawi - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Nicaragua - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Russian Federation - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

South Sudan - No prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - No prohibition

Syria - No prohibition

Eswatini - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Turkmenistan - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - General prohibition of harassment

Argentina - General prohibition of harassment

Burundi - General prohibition of harassment

Cote d'Ivoire - General prohibition of harassment

Chile - General prohibition of harassment

Colombia - General prohibition of harassment

Cuba - General prohibition of harassment

Cabo Verde - General prohibition of harassment

Djibouti - General prohibition of harassment

Algeria - General prohibition of harassment

Ecuador - General prohibition of harassment

Georgia - General prohibition of harassment

Equatorial Guinea - General prohibition of harassment

Greece - General prohibition of harassment

Guinea-Bissau - General prohibition of harassment

Iraq - General prohibition of harassment

Cambodia - General prohibition of harassment

Comoros - General prohibition of harassment

Lithuania - General prohibition of harassment

Luxembourg - General prohibition of harassment

Latvia - General prohibition of harassment

Monaco - General prohibition of harassment

Mozambique - General prohibition of harassment

Panama - General prohibition of harassment

Peru - General prohibition of harassment

Poland - General prohibition of harassment

Portugal - General prohibition of harassment

Seychelles - General prohibition of harassment

Singapore - General prohibition of harassment

San Marino - General prohibition of harassment

Tajikistan - General prohibition of harassment

Timor-Leste - General prohibition of harassment

Ukraine - General prohibition of harassment

Armenia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Austria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Burkina Faso - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Fiji - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

United Kingdom - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Guyana - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Kiribati - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Republic of Korea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Kuwait - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

St. Lucia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Liberia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Maldives - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Namibia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

New Zealand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Senegal - 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

Tuvalu - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Uzbekistan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Zambia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Andorra - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Albania - 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

Bolivia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

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

Switzerland - 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

France - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Gabon - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mongolia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Norway - 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

Suriname - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

El Salvador - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition