WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Do countries guarantee domestic workers access to paid paternal leave?

Domestic work is defined by the ILO’s C189 Domestic Workers Convention as work performed in or for a household or households within an employment relationship. It is estimated that over 80% of domestic workers are engaged in informal employment globally; a small number of countries extend guarantees to paid leave to “informal workers” and those countries are included in this category as well. This indicator reflects provisions in national labor and social security legislation and does not reflect provisions specific to non-citizen migrant domestic workers.

Paid paternal leave includes both paid leave reserved for fathers of infants or the birth mother’s spouse or partner, and paid shared parental leave—which is leave available to either parent of an infant—that can be taken by men.

Domestic workers excluded from paid leave means that a country’s labor and/or social security legislation explicitly excludes domestic workers from rights and entitlements broadly, or specifically from paid paternal leave. This includes countries with national guarantees to paid paternal leave which only extend unpaid paternal leave to domestic workers. It also includes countries with legislative loopholes that exclude workers at small enterprises (e.g. enterprises with fewer than 5 employees).

Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusions based domestic work means that workers are guaranteed national paid paternal leave, and legislation does not explicitly guarantee nor deny coverage to domestic workers. Additionally, this category includes a limited number of cases where legislation states that future legislation or regulations will determine the extent to which existing provisions apply to domestic workers.

Guaranteed to domestic workers means that legislation explicitly extends at least some paid paternal leave benefits to domestic workers—this includes cases where available benefits are less generous than those available to other workers in the private sector. It also includes countries where legislation includes a minimum hourly threshold that domestic workers must meet in order to be eligible for paid paternal leave.

In China, there is no guarantee to paid paternal leave in national legislation; however, paid paternity leave is guaranteed in all provinces. At this time, we are unable to verify whether all provinces guarantee paid leave coverage to domestic workers.

Countries

Antigua and Barbuda - No national paid paternal leave

Bahamas - No national paid paternal leave

Bangladesh - No national paid paternal leave

Barbados - No national paid paternal leave

Belize - No national paid paternal leave

Botswana - No national paid paternal leave

Brunei - No national paid paternal leave

Cambodia - No national paid paternal leave

Cameroon - No national paid paternal leave

Central African Republic - No national paid paternal leave

Comoros - No national paid paternal leave

Republic of the Congo - No national paid paternal leave

Costa Rica - No national paid paternal leave

Dominica - No national paid paternal leave

Egypt - No national paid paternal leave

Eritrea - No national paid paternal leave

Ghana - No national paid paternal leave

Grenada - No national paid paternal leave

Guinea - No national paid paternal leave

Guinea-Bissau - No national paid paternal leave

Guyana - No national paid paternal leave

Haiti - No national paid paternal leave

Honduras - No national paid paternal leave

India - No national paid paternal leave

Iran - No national paid paternal leave

Iraq - No national paid paternal leave

Jamaica - No national paid paternal leave

Kazakhstan - No national paid paternal leave

Kiribati - No national paid paternal leave

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No national paid paternal leave

Kuwait - No national paid paternal leave

Kyrgyzstan - No national paid paternal leave

Laos - No national paid paternal leave

Lebanon - No national paid paternal leave

Lesotho - No national paid paternal leave

Liberia - No national paid paternal leave

Libya - No national paid paternal leave

Liechtenstein - No national paid paternal leave

Madagascar - No national paid paternal leave

Malaysia - No national paid paternal leave

Marshall Islands - No national paid paternal leave

Micronesia, Federated States of - No national paid paternal leave

Namibia - No national paid paternal leave

Nauru - No national paid paternal leave

Niger - No national paid paternal leave

Nigeria - No national paid paternal leave

Oman - No national paid paternal leave

Pakistan - No national paid paternal leave

Palau - No national paid paternal leave

Papua New Guinea - No national paid paternal leave

Qatar - No national paid paternal leave

Sao Tome and Principe - No national paid paternal leave

Senegal - No national paid paternal leave

Sierra Leone - No national paid paternal leave

Solomon Islands - No national paid paternal leave

Somalia - No national paid paternal leave

Sri Lanka - No national paid paternal leave

St. Kitts and Nevis - No national paid paternal leave

St. Lucia - No national paid paternal leave

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No national paid paternal leave

Sudan - No national paid paternal leave

Eswatini - No national paid paternal leave

Syria - No national paid paternal leave

Tajikistan - No national paid paternal leave

Thailand - No national paid paternal leave

Tonga - No national paid paternal leave

Trinidad and Tobago - No national paid paternal leave

United States of America - No national paid paternal leave

Vanuatu - No national paid paternal leave

Yemen - No national paid paternal leave

Zimbabwe - No national paid paternal leave

Bahrain - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

Brazil - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

Dominican Republic - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

Japan - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

San Marino - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

Saudi Arabia - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

Türkiye - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

United Arab Emirates - Domestic workers excluded from paid leave

Afghanistan - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Albania - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Algeria - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Andorra - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Angola - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Armenia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Australia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Azerbaijan - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Bolivia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Bulgaria - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Burundi - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Canada - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Chad - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Chile - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Cote d'Ivoire - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Croatia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Cuba - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Cyprus - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Czech Republic - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Denmark - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Djibouti - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

El Salvador - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Estonia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Ethiopia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Gabon - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

The Gambia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Georgia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Germany - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Greece - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Greenland - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Guatemala - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Hungary - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Iceland - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Indonesia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Israel - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Jordan - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Latvia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Lithuania - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Luxembourg - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

North Macedonia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Malawi - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Maldives - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Mauritania - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Mauritius - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Mexico - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Moldova - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Monaco - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Mongolia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Montenegro - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

The Netherlands - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

New Zealand - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Nicaragua - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Panama - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Paraguay - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Peru - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Poland - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Romania - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Russian Federation - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Rwanda - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Samoa - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Serbia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Singapore - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Slovakia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Slovenia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

South Sudan - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Suriname - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Sweden - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Switzerland - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Togo - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Turkmenistan - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Uganda - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Ukraine - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

United Kingdom - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Uzbekistan - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Zambia - Guaranteed to workers generally, no exclusion based on domestic work

Argentina - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Austria - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Belarus - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Belgium - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Benin - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Bhutan - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Burkina Faso - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Cabo Verde - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Colombia - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Ecuador - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Equatorial Guinea - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Fiji - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Finland - Guaranteed to domestic workers

France - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Ireland - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Italy - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Kenya - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Mali - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Malta - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Morocco - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Mozambique - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Myanmar - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Nepal - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Norway - Guaranteed to domestic workers

The Philippines - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Portugal - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Seychelles - Guaranteed to domestic workers

South Africa - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Spain - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Tanzania - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Timor-Leste - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Tunisia - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Tuvalu - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Uruguay - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Venezuela - Guaranteed to domestic workers

Vietnam - Guaranteed to domestic workers