WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly guarantee equal pay on the basis of sex characteristics?

The term “sex characteristics” includes terms such as “sex characteristics”, “sexual characteristics”, “intersex characteristics”, “intersex status”, or “person with intersex variations”.

No guarantee means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in pay on the basis of sex characteristics. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General guarantee of equal pay means that legislation guarantees equal remuneration, equal pay for equal work, or equal pay for work of equal value 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 sex characteristics.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex characteristics means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of sex characteristics, but does not explicitly address discrimination in pay on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work. It also includes cases where sex characteristics-based discrimination is prohibited in terms of employment.

Guarantees equal pay means that legislation either a) extends an explicit guarantee to equal remuneration or equal pay for equal work on the basis of sex characteristics, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on this basis alongside a guarantee for equal remuneration or equal pay for equal work to all workers.

Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value indicates a guarantee that types of work that require similar skill levels and are similarly productive are paid the same. In these cases, legislation either: a) extends an explicit guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value on the basis of sex characteristics, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of sex characteristics alongside a general guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value to all workers.

Countries

United Arab Emirates - No guarantee

Antigua and Barbuda - No guarantee

Armenia - No guarantee

Argentina - No guarantee

Austria - No guarantee

Barbados - No guarantee

Bangladesh - No guarantee

Burkina Faso - No guarantee

Bahrain - No guarantee

Benin - No guarantee

Brunei - No guarantee

Bolivia - No guarantee

Brazil - No guarantee

Bahamas - No guarantee

Bhutan - No guarantee

Botswana - No guarantee

Belarus - No guarantee

Belize - No guarantee

Canada - No guarantee

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Switzerland - No guarantee

Cote d'Ivoire - No guarantee

Chile - No guarantee

Cameroon - No guarantee

Colombia - No guarantee

Cyprus - No guarantee

Germany - No guarantee

Djibouti - No guarantee

Dominica - No guarantee

Estonia - No guarantee

Egypt - No guarantee

Ethiopia - No guarantee

Finland - No guarantee

Micronesia, Federated States of - No guarantee

France - No guarantee

United Kingdom - No guarantee

Grenada - No guarantee

Greenland - No guarantee

The Gambia - No guarantee

Guinea - No guarantee

Guatemala - No guarantee

Guyana - No guarantee

Croatia - No guarantee

Haiti - No guarantee

Indonesia - No guarantee

Ireland - No guarantee

Israel - No guarantee

Iran - No guarantee

Jamaica - No guarantee

Jordan - No guarantee

Japan - No guarantee

Cambodia - No guarantee

Kiribati - No guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - No guarantee

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Kuwait - No guarantee

Laos - No guarantee

Lebanon - No guarantee

St. Lucia - No guarantee

Liechtenstein - No guarantee

Sri Lanka - No guarantee

Liberia - No guarantee

Lesotho - No guarantee

Luxembourg - No guarantee

Libya - No guarantee

Morocco - No guarantee

Monaco - No guarantee

Madagascar - No guarantee

Marshall Islands - No guarantee

Mali - No guarantee

Myanmar - No guarantee

Mauritania - No guarantee

Maldives - No guarantee

Malaysia - No guarantee

Mozambique - No guarantee

Namibia - No guarantee

Niger - No guarantee

Nigeria - No guarantee

Norway - No guarantee

Nepal - No guarantee

Nauru - No guarantee

New Zealand - No guarantee

Oman - No guarantee

Papua New Guinea - No guarantee

The Philippines - No guarantee

Palau - No guarantee

Paraguay - No guarantee

Qatar - No guarantee

Romania - No guarantee

Saudi Arabia - No guarantee

Solomon Islands - No guarantee

Seychelles - No guarantee

Sudan - No guarantee

Sweden - No guarantee

Singapore - No guarantee

Sierra Leone - No guarantee

San Marino - No guarantee

Senegal - No guarantee

Somalia - No guarantee

Suriname - No guarantee

El Salvador - No guarantee

Eswatini - No guarantee

Chad - No guarantee

Togo - No guarantee

Thailand - No guarantee

Tunisia - No guarantee

Tonga - No guarantee

Türkiye - No guarantee

Trinidad and Tobago - No guarantee

Tuvalu - No guarantee

Tanzania - No guarantee

Uganda - No guarantee

United States of America - No guarantee

Uruguay - No guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No guarantee

Venezuela - No guarantee

Vietnam - No guarantee

Vanuatu - No guarantee

Samoa - No guarantee

Yemen - No guarantee

Zimbabwe - No guarantee

Andorra - General guarantee of equal pay

Angola - General guarantee of equal pay

Azerbaijan - General guarantee of equal pay

Bulgaria - General guarantee of equal pay

Burundi - General guarantee of equal pay

Central African Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

China - General guarantee of equal pay

Costa Rica - General guarantee of equal pay

Cuba - General guarantee of equal pay

Cabo Verde - General guarantee of equal pay

Czech Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Dominican Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Algeria - General guarantee of equal pay

Ecuador - General guarantee of equal pay

Eritrea - General guarantee of equal pay

Fiji - General guarantee of equal pay

Gabon - General guarantee of equal pay

Georgia - General guarantee of equal pay

Ghana - General guarantee of equal pay

Equatorial Guinea - General guarantee of equal pay

Guinea-Bissau - General guarantee of equal pay

Honduras - General guarantee of equal pay

Hungary - General guarantee of equal pay

Iraq - General guarantee of equal pay

Italy - General guarantee of equal pay

Kenya - General guarantee of equal pay

Kyrgyzstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Comoros - General guarantee of equal pay

Kazakhstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Lithuania - General guarantee of equal pay

Latvia - General guarantee of equal pay

Moldova - General guarantee of equal pay

North Macedonia - General guarantee of equal pay

Mongolia - General guarantee of equal pay

Mauritius - General guarantee of equal pay

Malawi - General guarantee of equal pay

Mexico - General guarantee of equal pay

Nicaragua - General guarantee of equal pay

Panama - General guarantee of equal pay

Peru - General guarantee of equal pay

Poland - General guarantee of equal pay

Portugal - General guarantee of equal pay

Russian Federation - General guarantee of equal pay

Rwanda - General guarantee of equal pay

Slovenia - General guarantee of equal pay

Slovakia - General guarantee of equal pay

South Sudan - General guarantee of equal pay

Sao Tome and Principe - General guarantee of equal pay

Syria - General guarantee of equal pay

Tajikistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Timor-Leste - General guarantee of equal pay

Turkmenistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Ukraine - General guarantee of equal pay

Uzbekistan - General guarantee of equal pay

South Africa - General guarantee of equal pay

Zambia - General guarantee of equal pay

Australia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex characteristics

India - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex characteristics

Malta - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex characteristics

The Netherlands - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex characteristics

Pakistan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex characteristics

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sex characteristics

Belgium - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sex characteristics

Spain - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sex characteristics

Greece - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sex characteristics

Albania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sex characteristics

Denmark - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sex characteristics

Iceland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sex characteristics

Montenegro - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sex characteristics

Serbia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sex characteristics