quota system

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of quota system¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The quota system, perhaps unwittingly, provides judges an incentive to rule in favor of beneficiaries.

From Washington Post

The situation, dubbed buttergate by the Canadian media, exposed a complicated quota system in Canada that protects dairy producers from price fluctuations but also incentivized and prioritized the industry’s production over consumer preferences.

From Quartz

Starting in the 1970s, then MPAA president Jack Valenti began what was to become a decades-long fight against the quota system.

From The Daily Beast

The league is not going to move to the absurdity of a quota system.

From The Daily Beast

Selective Service wanted to eliminate the quota system altogether.

From Project Gutenberg