WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in promotions and/or demotions 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.

Promotions and/or demotions includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination in promotions, advancement, discipline, demotions, and in certain cases, prohibition of discrimination in performance evaluations.

No prohibition means that legislation does not does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in promotions and/or demotions on the basis of maternal status. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions means that legislation prohibits discrimination in promotions and/or demotions 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 maternal 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 maternal status, but does not explicitly address discrimination in promotions nor demotions on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

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

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Algeria - No prohibition

Angola - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Azerbaijan - No prohibition

Bahamas - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Belarus - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Bolivia - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Burkina Faso - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Colombia - No prohibition

Comoros - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Costa Rica - No prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Ecuador - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

El Salvador - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

Gabon - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Lesotho - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Mozambique - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - 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

Eswatini - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Tajikistan - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Timor-Leste - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Türkiye - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

United States of America - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Venezuela - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Georgia - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Iraq - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Peru - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Syria - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Turkmenistan - General prohibition of discrimination in promotions and/or demotions

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Guatemala - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

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

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Vietnam - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on maternal status

Albania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Belize - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Canada - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

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

Croatia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Djibouti - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

France - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Morocco - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

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

Serbia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Togo - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, maternal status-specific prohibition