Racial quota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Racial quotas in employment and education are numerical requirements for hiring, promoting, admitting and/or graduating members of a particular racial group. These quotas may be determined by governmental authority and backed by governmental sanctions. When the total number of jobs or enrollment slots is fixed, this proportion may get translated to a specific number. In education, this kind of quota is also known as Numerus clausus.
Advocates of affirmative action programs often deny that these programs involve quotas, although some openly do, such as the admission program of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul[1]. Advocates may regard the term "racial quotas" as particularly divisive in that it is assumed to be backed by the force of law to enable or disable certain linked programs or benefits based solely upon attainment of the one quota measure.
Opponents of quotas object that one group is favored at the expense of another whenever a quota is invoked (i.e., 8 out of 10 available positions) rather than factors such as grade point averages or test scores. They argue that using quotas displaces individuals from another group that would normally be favored based on factors of the individuals acheivemnts. Advocates point out that quotas compensate for other groups who are in a position that gives them an unfair advantage.
[edit] See also
- Jewish quota
- Numerus clausus
- Racism, Anti-racism
- Reverse discrimination, Discrimination
- Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
- Reservation in India
