WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in terminations on the basis of maternal status?

The term “maternal status” includes gender-neutral references to caregiving (‘parenthood’, ‘having children’, workers with ‘family responsibilities’), and gender specific references to ‘motherhood’ or ‘maternity.’ For the purposes of this variable, the term “maternal status” captures all of these definitions, but it does not capture job protections that narrowly apply to mothers’ 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 maternal status. 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 maternal status.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of maternal status, but does not explicitly address terminations. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

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

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Algeria - No prohibition

Angola - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Bahamas - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Belarus - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Bolivia - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Colombia - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

El Salvador - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Gabon - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Iraq - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Mozambique - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Senegal - No prohibition

Seychelles - No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Suriname - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Tajikistan - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Timor-Leste - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

United States of America - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Venezuela - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Azerbaijan - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Botswana - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Costa Rica - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Georgia - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Peru - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Turkmenistan - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

United Arab Emirates - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Croatia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

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

Guatemala - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Guinea-Bissau - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Albania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Bahrain - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Belize - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Burkina Faso - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Cambodia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

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

Cyprus - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Djibouti - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Ecuador - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Egypt - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Eritrea - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Ethiopia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

France - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Greenland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Mongolia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

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

Serbia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Eswatini - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Togo - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition