quota system

American  

noun

1. a system, originally determined by legislation in 1921, of limiting by nationality the number of immigrants who may enter the U.S. each year.

2. a policy of limiting the number of minority group members in a business firm, school, etc.

3. any hiring or admissions policy requiring that a specified number or percentage of minority group members be hired or admitted.

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Etymology

Origin of quota system

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

What started with students protesting against a quota system for government jobs eventually turned into broader demonstrations calling for an end to Hasina’s authoritarian rule.

From The Wall Street Journal

A helpful program note by dramaturg Adrian Trujillo Centeno explains that the law eliminated “the national origins quota system that had favored Northern and Western Europeans since the 1920s.”

From Los Angeles Times

At least 25 percent of parliamentary seats must go to women, according to the quota system that also reserves nine seats for minorities.

From Barron's

Execution risks remain, as does uncertainty surrounding the U.S. tariff quota system, Deutsche adds.

From The Wall Street Journal

The EU says Brussels and Washington will work to cut that number and that they will be replaced by a quota system to come beyond 1 August.

From BBC