WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discriminatory workplace harassment 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.

Discriminatory harassment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against harassment at the workplace.

No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discriminatory harassment on the basis of marital status. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of harassment means that legislation prohibits discriminatory harassment 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 on the basis of marital status broadly protects individuals from workplace discrimination on the basis of marital status, but does not explicitly address workplace harassment. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

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

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Oman - 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

Libya - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Honduras - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Israel - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - No prohibition

Tajikistan - No prohibition

Zambia - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Uzbekistan - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

United States of America - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

Tuvalu - No prohibition

Turkmenistan - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Togo - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Syria - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Russian Federation - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Senegal - No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

South Sudan - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Suriname - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Dominican Republic - No prohibition

Ecuador - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Djibouti - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Burkina Faso - No prohibition

Estonia - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

Brazil - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Guatemala - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Greece - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Germany - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Barbados - No prohibition

Belarus - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Gabon - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Comoros - General prohibition of harassment

Norway - General prohibition of harassment

Peru - General prohibition of harassment

Guinea - General prohibition of harassment

Poland - General prohibition of harassment

Cabo Verde - General prohibition of harassment

San Marino - General prohibition of harassment

Cambodia - General prohibition of harassment

- General prohibition of harassment

Singapore - General prohibition of harassment

Slovenia - General prohibition of harassment

Andorra - General prohibition of harassment

Cote d'Ivoire - General prohibition of harassment

Colombia - General prohibition of harassment

France - General prohibition of harassment

Latvia - General prohibition of harassment

Hungary - General prohibition of harassment

Malta - General prohibition of harassment

Iraq - General prohibition of harassment

Moldova - General prohibition of harassment

Finland - General prohibition of harassment

Morocco - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Lesotho - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

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

Kiribati - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Fiji - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

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

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Trinidad and Tobago - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Bahamas - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Azerbaijan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

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

Armenia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Angola - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Grenada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Sao Tome and Principe - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Liberia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Malawi - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Guyana - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Namibia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

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

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

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

New Zealand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Maldives - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Guaranteed in separate legislation

Vietnam - Guaranteed in separate legislation

El Salvador - Guaranteed in separate legislation

North Macedonia - Guaranteed in separate legislation

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Guaranteed in separate legislation

Rwanda - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Turkey - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Algeria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mozambique - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Albania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition