WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in terminations 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.

Terminations includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discriminatory terminations or dismissals from the workplace, or guarantees of continuance of employment.

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

General prohibition of discrimination in terminations means that legislation prohibits discrimination in terminations 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 terminations. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition means that legislation either extends: a) an explicit prohibition of discriminatory terminations on the basis of pregnancy, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy alongside a general prohibition of discriminatory termination to all workers.

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Algeria - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bolivia - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Djibouti - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Iraq - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Angola - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Botswana - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Georgia - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Austria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Canada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Kuwait - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Togo - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy

Albania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Azerbaijan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bahrain - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Belarus - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Belize - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Benin - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Burkina Faso - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Chad - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

China - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Colombia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

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

Costa Rica - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Cuba - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ecuador - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Egypt - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

El Salvador - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Eritrea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ethiopia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

France - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Gabon - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ghana - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Greenland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guatemala - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Haiti - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Japan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kazakhstan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Laos - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Lebanon - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Libya - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Madagascar - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Malaysia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mongolia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Mozambique - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Niger - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Oman - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Panama - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Papua New Guinea - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Paraguay - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

The Philippines - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Saudi Arabia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Senegal - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Sierra Leone - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Sri Lanka - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Suriname - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Eswatini - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Thailand - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Uganda - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

United Arab Emirates - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Uruguay - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition