WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly guarantee equal pay on the basis of pregnancy?

Map reflects policies in place as of August 2016. Updates of these data are currently in progress.

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

No guarantee means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in pay on the basis of pregnancy. 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 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 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 pregnancy-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 pregnancy, 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 pregnancy, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy alongside a general guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value to all workers.

Countries

Sierra Leone - No guarantee

Japan - No guarantee

Malawi - No guarantee

Madagascar - No guarantee

Sweden - No guarantee

Luxembourg - No guarantee

Lithuania - No guarantee

Libya - No guarantee

Lesotho - No guarantee

Lebanon - No guarantee

Laos - No guarantee

Kuwait - No guarantee

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Thailand - No guarantee

Jordan - No guarantee

Jamaica - No guarantee

Eswatini - No guarantee

Togo - No guarantee

Israel - No guarantee

Tonga - No guarantee

Iran - No guarantee

Indonesia - No guarantee

India - No guarantee

- No guarantee

Trinidad and Tobago - No guarantee

Tunisia - No guarantee

Haiti - No guarantee

Guinea-Bissau - No guarantee

Guinea - No guarantee

Guatemala - No guarantee

Malaysia - No guarantee

Mali - No guarantee

Greenland - No guarantee

Nigeria - No guarantee

Senegal - No guarantee

Saudi Arabia - No guarantee

San Marino - No guarantee

Singapore - No guarantee

Solomon Islands - No guarantee

Qatar - No guarantee

The Philippines - No guarantee

Paraguay - No guarantee

Papua New Guinea - No guarantee

Palau - No guarantee

Pakistan - No guarantee

Oman - No guarantee

Somalia - No guarantee

Niger - No guarantee

Suriname - No guarantee

South Sudan - No guarantee

Nepal - No guarantee

Nauru - No guarantee

Sri Lanka - No guarantee

Myanmar - No guarantee

Mozambique - No guarantee

Morocco - No guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - No guarantee

Monaco - No guarantee

Federated States of Micronesia - No guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No guarantee

Sudan - No guarantee

Mauritania - No guarantee

Marshall Islands - No guarantee

Grenada - No guarantee

Iceland - No guarantee

Greece - No guarantee

Bolivia - No guarantee

Bahrain - No guarantee

Bangladesh - No guarantee

Barbados - No guarantee

Yemen - No guarantee

Uruguay - No guarantee

Cote d'Ivoire - No guarantee

Benin - No guarantee

Vietnam - No guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Burundi - No guarantee

Vanuatu - No guarantee

Botswana - No guarantee

Colombia - No guarantee

Brazil - No guarantee

Chile - No guarantee

Chad - No guarantee

Brunei - No guarantee

Canada - No guarantee

Cameroon - No guarantee

Bahamas - No guarantee

United Arab Emirates - No guarantee

Cambodia - No guarantee

Argentina - No guarantee

The Gambia - No guarantee

Gabon - No guarantee

Tuvalu - No guarantee

Uganda - No guarantee

Ethiopia - No guarantee

Antigua and Barbuda - No guarantee

Egypt - No guarantee

Austria - No guarantee

Dominica - No guarantee

Djibouti - No guarantee

Poland - General guarantee of equal pay

Portugal - General guarantee of equal pay

Russian Federation - General guarantee of equal pay

Azerbaijan - General guarantee of equal pay

Nicaragua - General guarantee of equal pay

Peru - General guarantee of equal pay

Angola - General guarantee of equal pay

Sao Tome and Principe - General guarantee of equal pay

Bulgaria - General guarantee of equal pay

Andorra - General guarantee of equal pay

Algeria - General guarantee of equal pay

Panama - General guarantee of equal pay

Central African Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Afghanistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Latvia - General guarantee of equal pay

Dominican Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Kazakhstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Timor-Leste - General guarantee of equal pay

Iraq - General guarantee of equal pay

Equatorial Guinea - General guarantee of equal pay

Tajikistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Eritrea - General guarantee of equal pay

Cuba - General guarantee of equal pay

Ecuador - General guarantee of equal pay

Turkmenistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Syria - General guarantee of equal pay

Uzbekistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Georgia - General guarantee of equal pay

Comoros - General guarantee of equal pay

China - General guarantee of equal pay

Ghana - General guarantee of equal pay

Cabo Verde - General guarantee of equal pay

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Guyana - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Zambia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Turkey - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Burkina Faso - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Australia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

United Kingdom - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

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

Belarus - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

United States of America - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Ukraine - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Spain - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Switzerland - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Venezuela - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Tanzania - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Liberia - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Zimbabwe - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Mexico - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Germany - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

France - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Rwanda - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Kyrgyzstan - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Liechtenstein - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

North Macedonia - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Honduras - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Hungary - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Costa Rica - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Namibia - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

New Zealand - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Norway - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Belgium - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Armenia - Guarantees equal pay based on pregnancy status

Croatia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Czech Republic - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Denmark - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Estonia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Fiji - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Bhutan - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Finland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Cyprus - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Serbia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Ireland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Italy - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Kenya - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Republic of Korea - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Albania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Maldives - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Malta - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Mauritius - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Moldova - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Montenegro - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

The Netherlands - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

South Africa - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Romania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Slovenia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Slovakia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status

Kiribati - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy status