WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in promotions and/or demotions on the basis of marital status?

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

The term “marital status” includes references to ‘civil status’, ‘married’, ‘relationship status’, ‘personal status,” or whether employees have a husband or wife. For the purposes of this variable, the term “marital status” captures all of these definitions.

Promotions and/or demotions includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination in promotions, advancement, discipline, demotions, and in certain cases, prohibition of discrimination in performance evaluations.

No prohibition means that legislation does not does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in promotions and/or demotions on the basis of marital status. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions means that legislation prohibits discrimination in promotions and/or demotions 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 marital status.

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

Yes, prohibition based on marital status means that legislation either: a) extends an explicit marital status-based prohibition of discrimination in promotions or demotions, or b) extends a broad prohibition of marital status-based workplace discrimination alongside a general prohibition of discrimination in promotions or demotions to all workers.

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Norway - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nicaragua - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Federated States of Micronesia - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

Honduras - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Guinea - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Zambia - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

United States of America - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

Tuvalu - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Togo - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Suriname - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Senegal - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

- No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

South Sudan - No prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Guatemala - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Dominican Republic - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Djibouti - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Comoros - No prohibition

Colombia - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Cabo Verde - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Burkina Faso - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Brazil - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Bolivia - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Belarus - No prohibition

Barbados - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Ecuador - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

France - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greece - No prohibition

Finland - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

Gabon - No prohibition

Estonia - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Germany - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Russian Federation - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Turkmenistan - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Iraq - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Slovenia - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Moldova - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Uzbekistan - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Latvia - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Peru - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Andorra - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Hungary - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Timor-Leste - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Rwanda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Republic of Korea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Azerbaijan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Angola - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

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

Venezuela - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Lesotho - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Vietnam - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Algeria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Belgium - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Belize - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Albania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Turkey - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Uganda - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition