WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in terminations on the basis of pregnancy?

The term “pregnancy” includes references to ‘pregnancy’ or ‘potential pregnancy.’ It does not include job protections that narrowly apply to leave-taking alone.

Terminations includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discriminatory terminations or dismissals from the workplace, or guarantees of continuance of employment.

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

General prohibition of discrimination in terminations means that legislation prohibits discrimination in terminations 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 pregnancy.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of pregnancy, but does not explicitly address terminations. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, pregnancy-specific prohibition means that legislation either extends: a) an explicit prohibition of discriminatory terminations on the basis of pregnancy, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy alongside a general prohibition of discriminatory termination to all workers.

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Algeria - No prohibition

Angola - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Austria - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bolivia - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Burundi - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Canada - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Djibouti - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Iraq - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Poland - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - No prohibition

Senegal - No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Suriname - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Botswana - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Georgia - General prohibition of discrimination in terminations

Togo - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status

Albania - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Azerbaijan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Bahrain - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Belarus - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Belize - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Benin - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Bhutan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Burkina Faso - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Chad - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

China - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Colombia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

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

Costa Rica - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Ecuador - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Egypt - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

El Salvador - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Eritrea - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Ethiopia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

France - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Gabon - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

The Gambia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Ghana - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Greenland - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Guatemala - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Haiti - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Japan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Kazakhstan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Laos - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Lebanon - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Lesotho - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Libya - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Liechtenstein - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Madagascar - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Malawi - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Mongolia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Mozambique - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Namibia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Nicaragua - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Niger - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Panama - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Papua New Guinea - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Paraguay - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

The Philippines - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Saudi Arabia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Eswatini - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Switzerland - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Syria - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Tajikistan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Thailand - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Uganda - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

United Arab Emirates - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

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

Uruguay - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition

Zimbabwe - Yes, pregnancy status-specific prohibition