WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly guarantee equal pay 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.

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

General guarantee of equal pay means that legislation guarantees equal remuneration, equal pay for equal work, or equal pay for work of equal value 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 paternal 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 paternal status, but does not explicitly address discrimination in pay on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work. It also includes cases where maternal status-based discrimination is prohibited in terms of employment.

Guarantees equal pay means that legislation either a) extends an explicit guarantee to equal remuneration or equal pay for equal work on the basis of maternal status, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on this basis alongside a guarantee for equal remuneration or equal pay for equal work to all workers.

Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value indicates a guarantee that types of work that require similar skill levels and are similarly productive are paid the same. In these cases, legislation either: a) extends an explicit guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value on the basis of maternal status, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of maternal status alongside a general guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value to all workers.

Countries

Antigua and Barbuda - No guarantee

Bahamas - No guarantee

Bahrain - No guarantee

Bangladesh - No guarantee

Belarus - No guarantee

Benin - No guarantee

Bhutan - No guarantee

Bolivia - No guarantee

Botswana - No guarantee

Brunei - No guarantee

Burkina Faso - No guarantee

Cambodia - No guarantee

Cameroon - No guarantee

Chad - No guarantee

Colombia - No guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Cote d'Ivoire - No guarantee

Djibouti - No guarantee

Dominica - No guarantee

Egypt - No guarantee

El Salvador - No guarantee

Ethiopia - No guarantee

Gabon - No guarantee

Greenland - No guarantee

Guinea - No guarantee

Haiti - No guarantee

Iceland - No guarantee

India - No guarantee

Indonesia - No guarantee

Iran - No guarantee

Israel - No guarantee

Jamaica - No guarantee

Japan - No guarantee

Jordan - No guarantee

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Kuwait - No guarantee

Laos - No guarantee

Lebanon - No guarantee

Lesotho - No guarantee

Libya - No guarantee

Madagascar - No guarantee

Malaysia - No guarantee

Mali - No guarantee

Marshall Islands - No guarantee

Mauritania - No guarantee

Micronesia, Federated States of - No guarantee

Monaco - No guarantee

Morocco - No guarantee

Mozambique - No guarantee

Myanmar - No guarantee

Nauru - No guarantee

Nepal - No guarantee

Niger - No guarantee

Nigeria - No guarantee

Oman - No guarantee

Pakistan - No guarantee

Palau - No guarantee

Papua New Guinea - No guarantee

Paraguay - No guarantee

The Philippines - No guarantee

Qatar - No guarantee

San Marino - No guarantee

Saudi Arabia - No guarantee

Senegal - No guarantee

Seychelles - No guarantee

Sierra Leone - No guarantee

Singapore - No guarantee

Solomon Islands - No guarantee

Somalia - No guarantee

Sri Lanka - No guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - No guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No guarantee

Sudan - No guarantee

Suriname - No guarantee

Eswatini - No guarantee

Sweden - No guarantee

Thailand - No guarantee

Tonga - No guarantee

Trinidad and Tobago - No guarantee

Tunisia - No guarantee

Türkiye - No guarantee

Uganda - No guarantee

United Arab Emirates - No guarantee

United States of America - No guarantee

Uruguay - No guarantee

Vanuatu - No guarantee

Venezuela - No guarantee

Yemen - No guarantee

Zimbabwe - No guarantee

Afghanistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Algeria - General guarantee of equal pay

Angola - General guarantee of equal pay

Azerbaijan - General guarantee of equal pay

Burundi - General guarantee of equal pay

Cabo Verde - General guarantee of equal pay

Central African Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

China - General guarantee of equal pay

Comoros - General guarantee of equal pay

Cuba - General guarantee of equal pay

Dominican Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Ecuador - General guarantee of equal pay

Equatorial Guinea - General guarantee of equal pay

Eritrea - General guarantee of equal pay

Georgia - General guarantee of equal pay

Ghana - General guarantee of equal pay

Iraq - General guarantee of equal pay

Kazakhstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Kenya - General guarantee of equal pay

Panama - General guarantee of equal pay

Poland - General guarantee of equal pay

Rwanda - General guarantee of equal pay

Syria - General guarantee of equal pay

Tajikistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Timor-Leste - General guarantee of equal pay

Turkmenistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Argentina - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Australia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Barbados - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Canada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Cyprus - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Grenada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Guatemala - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Guyana - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Malta - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

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

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

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

Togo - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Tuvalu - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

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

Vietnam - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Armenia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Belgium - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Brazil - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Bulgaria - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

France - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Guinea-Bissau - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Hungary - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Kyrgyzstan - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Liberia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Liechtenstein - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Luxembourg - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

North Macedonia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Mexico - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Nicaragua - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Norway - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Peru - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Spain - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Switzerland - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Tanzania - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Uzbekistan - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on maternal status

Albania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Andorra - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Austria - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Costa Rica - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Croatia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Czech Republic - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Denmark - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Estonia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Fiji - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Finland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

The Gambia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Germany - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Greece - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Ireland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Italy - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Kiribati - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Latvia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Lithuania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Malawi - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Maldives - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Mauritius - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Moldova - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Montenegro - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Namibia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

The Netherlands - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Portugal - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Romania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Russian Federation - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Sao Tome and Principe - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Serbia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Slovakia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Slovenia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

South Africa - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

South Sudan - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status

Zambia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on maternal status