Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of sex?

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Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of sex?

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

The term ‘sex’ refers to country references to ‘sex’ or ‘gender’ or specific protections for ‘female’ or ‘women’ employees.

Hiring or recruitment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination during pre-employment, or the hiring or recruitment process.

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

General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment means that legislation prohibits discrimination in hiring or recruitment 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.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of sex, but does not explicitly address discrimination in hiring nor recruitment on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, sex-based prohibition means that legislation either: a) extends an explicit sex-based prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment, or b) extends a broad prohibition of sex-based workplace discrimination alongside a general prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment to all workers within the same legislation.

Countries

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

South Sudan - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Suriname - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Ecuador - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Tuvalu - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Barbados - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Belize - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Afghanistan - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Kyrgyzstan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Haiti - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Rwanda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Iran - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Gabon - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Oman - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Paraguay - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Papua New Guinea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Panama - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Somalia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Guinea-Bissau - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Ethiopia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Eritrea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Uganda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Belarus - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Thailand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Bahrain - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Colombia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Armenia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Tunisia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Cuba - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Egypt - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Andorra - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Yemen - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sex

Niger - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Uruguay - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Vanuatu - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Togo - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Turkey - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Senegal - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Sweden - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

San Marino - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Poland - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Chad - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

China - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

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

Costa Rica - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Djibouti - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Cameroon - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

France - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Algeria - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Angola - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Azerbaijan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Cambodia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Benin - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Burkina Faso - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Burundi - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Laos - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Lebanon - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Albania - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Libya - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Madagascar - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Mauritania - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Kazakhstan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Ghana - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Greenland - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Guatemala - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Japan - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

India - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Indonesia - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Iraq - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, sex-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, sex-specific prohibition