WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly guarantee equal pay on the basis of sexual orientation?

The term “sexual orientation” includes references to ‘sexual preference’ and ‘homosexuality’. For the purposes of this variable, the term “sexual orientation” captures all of these definitions.

No guarantee means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in pay on the basis of sexual orientation. 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 sexual orientation.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation, 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 sexual orientation-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 sexual orientation, 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 sexual orientation, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation alongside a general guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value to all workers.

Countries

Antigua and Barbuda - No guarantee

Argentina - No guarantee

Armenia - No guarantee

Bahamas - No guarantee

Bahrain - No guarantee

Bangladesh - No guarantee

Belarus - No guarantee

Belize - No guarantee

Benin - No guarantee

Bhutan - No guarantee

Bolivia - No guarantee

Botswana - No guarantee

Brazil - No guarantee

Brunei - No guarantee

Burkina Faso - No guarantee

Cambodia - No guarantee

Cameroon - No guarantee

Chad - No guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Democratic 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

The Gambia - No guarantee

Greenland - No guarantee

Grenada - No guarantee

Guatemala - No guarantee

Guinea - No guarantee

Guyana - No guarantee

Haiti - 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

Liechtenstein - No guarantee

Madagascar - No guarantee

Malaysia - No guarantee

Maldives - No guarantee

Mali - No guarantee

Marshall Islands - No guarantee

Mauritania - No guarantee

Micronesia, Federated States of - No guarantee

Monaco - No guarantee

Morocco - No guarantee

Myanmar - No guarantee

Namibia - 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

Singapore - No guarantee

Solomon Islands - No guarantee

Somalia - No guarantee

Sri Lanka - No guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - No guarantee

St. Lucia - No guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No guarantee

Sudan - No guarantee

Eswatini - No guarantee

Switzerland - No guarantee

Tanzania - No guarantee

Thailand - No guarantee

Togo - 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

Vietnam - No guarantee

Yemen - No guarantee

Zimbabwe - No guarantee

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

Dominican Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Eritrea - General guarantee of equal pay

Gabon - General guarantee of equal pay

Ghana - General guarantee of equal pay

Guinea-Bissau - General guarantee of equal pay

Iraq - General guarantee of equal pay

Kazakhstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Kenya - General guarantee of equal pay

Kyrgyzstan - General guarantee of equal pay

Malawi - General guarantee of equal pay

Panama - General guarantee of equal pay

Peru - General guarantee of equal pay

Russian Federation - General guarantee of equal pay

Rwanda - General guarantee of equal pay

South Sudan - 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

Uzbekistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Zambia - General guarantee of equal pay

Australia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Barbados - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Bulgaria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Canada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Colombia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Finland - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

The Netherlands - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

New Zealand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Nicaragua - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Sierra Leone - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Suriname - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Tuvalu - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

United Kingdom - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Venezuela - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Andorra - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Belgium - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Cuba - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Cyprus - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Estonia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

France - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Georgia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Germany - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Greece - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Hungary - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Italy - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Liberia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Luxembourg - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

North Macedonia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Malta - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Mexico - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Mozambique - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Norway - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Romania - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Seychelles - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Slovakia - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Spain - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Sweden - Guarantees equal pay for equal work based on sexual orientation

Albania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Austria - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Croatia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Czech Republic - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Denmark - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Ecuador - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Equatorial Guinea - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Fiji - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Iceland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Ireland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Kiribati - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Latvia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Lithuania - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Mauritius - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Moldova - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Mongolia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Montenegro - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Poland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Portugal - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Sao Tome and Principe - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Serbia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Slovenia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

South Africa - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation

Ukraine - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on sexual orientation