WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of gender?

The term ‘gender’ refers to country references to ‘gender’ or ‘sex’ or specific protections for ‘female’ or ‘women’ employees.

Hiring or recruitment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination during pre-employment, or the hiring or recruitment process.

No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of gender. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment means that legislation prohibits discrimination in hiring or recruitment 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 gender.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of gender but does not explicitly address discrimination in hiring nor recruitment on the basis of gender. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, gender-based prohibition means that legislation either: a) extends an explicit gender-based prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment, or b) extends a broad prohibition of gender-based workplace discrimination alongside a general prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment to all workers.

Countries

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Afghanistan - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

United Arab Emirates - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Bahrain - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Central African Republic - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Colombia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Cuba - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Egypt - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Eritrea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Ethiopia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Gabon - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Guinea-Bissau - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Haiti - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Iran - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Nepal - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Oman - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Papua New Guinea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Paraguay - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Rwanda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Somalia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Thailand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Uganda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Yemen - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on gender

Albania - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Algeria - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Angola - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Azerbaijan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Belarus - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Benin - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Burkina Faso - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Burundi - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Cambodia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Cameroon - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Chad - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

China - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Costa Rica - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Djibouti - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Ecuador - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

France - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Ghana - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Greenland - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Guatemala - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

India - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Indonesia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Iraq - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Japan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Kazakhstan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Laos - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Lebanon - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Libya - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Madagascar - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Mali - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Marshall Islands - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Mauritania - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Niger - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Pakistan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Panama - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Poland - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

San Marino - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Saudi Arabia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Senegal - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Suriname - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Sweden - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Togo - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Tunisia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Uruguay - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Vanuatu - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, gender-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, gender-specific prohibition