WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discriminatory workplace harassment on the basis of social class?

The term “social class” encompasses a diversity of terminology used across countries, and includes references to ‘caste’, ‘social background’, ‘economic standing’, ‘economic status’, ‘social condition’, ‘social origin’, ‘socioeconomic status’, ‘disadvantaged’, ‘property status, ‘education’, and others. For the purposes of this variable, the term “social class” captures all of these definitions.

Discriminatory harassment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against harassment at the workplace.

No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discriminatory harassment on the basis of social class. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of harassment means that legislation prohibits discriminatory harassment 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 social class.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of social class broadly protects individuals from workplace discrimination on the basis of social class, but does not explicitly address workplace harassment. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

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

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Austria - No prohibition

Bahamas - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brazil - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Canada - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Cuba - No prohibition

Cyprus - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Germany - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

Iceland - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Ireland - No prohibition

Israel - No prohibition

Italy - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Liechtenstein - No prohibition

Luxembourg - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

The Netherlands - No prohibition

New Zealand - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Senegal - No prohibition

Sierra Leone - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

South Sudan - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Sweden - No prohibition

Switzerland - No prohibition

Syria - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

United States of America - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Andorra - General prohibition of harassment

Cambodia - General prohibition of harassment

Democratic Republic of the Congo - General prohibition of harassment

Djibouti - General prohibition of harassment

Guinea - General prohibition of harassment

Iraq - General prohibition of harassment

Malta - General prohibition of harassment

Monaco - General prohibition of harassment

Norway - General prohibition of harassment

Poland - General prohibition of harassment

San Marino - General prohibition of harassment

Seychelles - General prohibition of harassment

Singapore - General prohibition of harassment

Angola - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Armenia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Azerbaijan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Belarus - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Burkina Faso - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Czech Republic - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Dominican Republic - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Equatorial Guinea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Eritrea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Ghana - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Grenada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Guatemala - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Guyana - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Kazakhstan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Kiribati - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Republic of Korea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Kyrgyzstan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Lesotho - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Liberia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Libya - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Malawi - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Maldives - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Mali - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Mauritania - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Morocco - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Namibia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Nepal - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Nicaragua - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Niger - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Panama - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Paraguay - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Russian Federation - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Rwanda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Samoa - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Somalia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Spain - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

St. Lucia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Suriname - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Eswatini - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Tajikistan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Togo - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Turkmenistan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Tuvalu - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Uganda - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Uzbekistan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Zambia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on social class

Albania - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Algeria - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Argentina - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Burundi - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Cabo Verde - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Colombia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Comoros - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Ecuador - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

El Salvador - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

France - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Gabon - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Kenya - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Mozambique - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, social class-specific prohibition

Vietnam - Yes, social class-specific prohibition