WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly guarantee equal pay 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 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

Antigua and Barbuda - No guarantee

Argentina - No guarantee

Bahamas - No guarantee

Bahrain - No guarantee

Bangladesh - No guarantee

Benin - No guarantee

Bolivia - No guarantee

Botswana - No guarantee

Brazil - No guarantee

Brunei - No guarantee

Cambodia - No guarantee

Cameroon - No guarantee

Canada - No guarantee

Chad - No guarantee

Chile - No guarantee

Colombia - No guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Cote d'Ivoire - No guarantee

Djibouti - No guarantee

Dominica - No guarantee

Egypt - No guarantee

Ethiopia - No guarantee

The Gambia - No guarantee

Greece - No guarantee

Greenland - No guarantee

Grenada - No guarantee

Guatemala - No guarantee

Guinea - No guarantee

Haiti - No guarantee

Iceland - No guarantee

India - No guarantee

Indonesia - No guarantee

Iran - No guarantee

Israel - No guarantee

Jamaica - No guarantee

Japan - No guarantee

Jordan - No guarantee

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Laos - No guarantee

Lebanon - No guarantee

Lesotho - No guarantee

Libya - No guarantee

Luxembourg - No guarantee

Madagascar - No guarantee

Malaysia - No guarantee

Mali - No guarantee

Marshall Islands - No guarantee

Mauritania - No guarantee

Micronesia, Federated States of - No guarantee

Monaco - No guarantee

Morocco - No guarantee

Mozambique - No guarantee

Myanmar - No guarantee

Nauru - No guarantee

Nepal - No guarantee

Niger - No guarantee

Nigeria - No guarantee

Oman - No guarantee

Pakistan - No guarantee

Palau - No guarantee

Papua New Guinea - No guarantee

Paraguay - No guarantee

The Philippines - No guarantee

Qatar - No guarantee

San Marino - No guarantee

Saudi Arabia - No guarantee

Seychelles - No guarantee

Singapore - No guarantee

Solomon Islands - No guarantee

Somalia - No guarantee

Sri Lanka - No guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - No guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No guarantee

Sudan - No guarantee

Eswatini - No guarantee

Sweden - No guarantee

Thailand - No guarantee

Tonga - No guarantee

Trinidad and Tobago - No guarantee

Tunisia - No guarantee

Uganda - No guarantee

United Arab Emirates - No guarantee

Uruguay - No guarantee

Vanuatu - No guarantee

Yemen - No guarantee

Algeria - 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

Cabo Verde - General guarantee of equal pay

Central African Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

China - General guarantee of equal pay

Comoros - General guarantee of equal pay

Cuba - General guarantee of equal pay

Dominican Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Ecuador - General guarantee of equal pay

Equatorial Guinea - General guarantee of equal pay

Eritrea - General guarantee of equal pay

Georgia - General guarantee of equal pay

Ghana - General guarantee of equal pay

Guinea-Bissau - General guarantee of equal pay

Iraq - General guarantee of equal pay

Kazakhstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Latvia - General guarantee of equal pay

Lithuania - General guarantee of equal pay

Malawi - General guarantee of equal pay

Nicaragua - General guarantee of equal pay

Panama - 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

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

Australia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Austria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Barbados - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Belarus - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Burkina Faso - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Guyana - 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

North Macedonia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Sierra Leone - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

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

Suriname - 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

United Kingdom - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Vietnam - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Armenia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Belgium - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

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

France - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Gabon - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Hungary - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Kyrgyzstan - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Liberia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Liechtenstein - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Mexico - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Namibia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Norway - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Peru - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Senegal - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Spain - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Switzerland - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Tanzania - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

United States of America - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Uzbekistan - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Venezuela - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

Zimbabwe - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on pregnancy

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

Andorra - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Germany - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mongolia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy

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

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

New Zealand - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zambia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on pregnancy