WORLD Policy Analysis Center

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

The term “marital status” includes references to ‘civil status’, ‘married’, ‘relationship status’, ‘personal status,” or whether employees have a husband or wife.

Because caregiving discrimination disproportionately affects women and can begin with the assumption that married women will have children, this variable also includes gendered terminology that reference’s women’s marital status alone.

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 marital status. 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 marital status.

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

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

Countries

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

Colombia - No prohibition

Comoros - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Djibouti - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Dominican Republic - No prohibition

Ecuador - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Estonia - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

France - No prohibition

Gabon - No prohibition

Germany - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greece - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Guinea - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Norway - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

San Marino - 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. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Suriname - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Togo - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Afghanistan - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Andorra - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Belarus - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Burkina Faso - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Cabo Verde - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

China - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Finland - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Hungary - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Iraq - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Kazakhstan - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Latvia - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Libya - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Moldova - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Russian Federation - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Saudi Arabia - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Slovenia - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Turkmenistan - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

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

Algeria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Angola - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

El Salvador - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

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

Haiti - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on marital status

Albania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Azerbaijan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

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

Costa Rica - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Guatemala - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Laos - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Marshall Islands - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Mongolia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

The Philippines - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

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

Serbia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tunisia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Uruguay - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, marital status-specific prohibition