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Lexi Thompson

Michael White

English 1101

23 November 2021

Diversity Quotas in Hiring Practices

Imagine being hired just to add to the diversity rather than for how qualified you are.

Diversity quotas have become a huge part of the hiring process. They are not necessarily bad and

were actually made to help minorities but ended up hurting them and businesses as a result.

Diversity quotas do more harm than help and should not be used in hiring practices. Due to

society constantly changing and becoming more accepting, diversity quotas need to be changed

in order for workplaces to achieve true diversity in a safe environment.

Diversity quotas have been used for many years and some say that it is a lesser version of

affirmative action. Both of these were created so that minorities can get more opportunities in the

workforce. The difference between the two is that affirmative action requires workplaces to hire

a certain number of minorities and quotas are a category of affirmative action. Affirmative action

can be described as “a tool to fight discrimination or as a tool to redistribute jobs and earnings,”

(Leonard, Jonathan S.). They are both used to help with racism and employers from picking a

person just because of their skin tone. The definition of what a diversity quota is: “metrics that

companies and organizations establish to increase the number of underrepresented and

marginalized groups in order to create a more diverse workforce,”(Murray, Rachel). What this is

saying is that there are ‘goals’ that companies need to reach in order to maintain diversity in the

workplace. The whole goal of the quota is so that underrepresented people can get an equal

chance to be a part of the company. In other words, it is “to combat discrimination faced by
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historically excluded groups in the workplace, primarily racial minorities, women, and those

with disabilities,”(Murray, Rachel). Quotas are supposed to help those who are statically

struggling with being seen as equals. Quotas are more complicated than most might think. There

isn’t just one quota for all, there are multiple subtopics that all fall into the category of diversity

quotas. An example of this is disability quotas which help people with disabilities get an

opportunity to work. The quota works by “employing a certain proportion of people with

disabilities” so that workplaces can meet the target of how many disabled people are working,

(Richard, Sarah & Hennekam, Sophie). Another quota frequently used is one to get more female

representation. This quota was created because many employers felt like “suitably qualified and

experienced women simply could not be found,” (Sealy, Professor Ruth). Along with that,

employers felt they would rather have a male working for them and due to this misogynistic

thinking, a quota was made so that women could get their chance. The common misconception

of underrepresented people in the workplace is that they are unable to do their job due to the fact

that they are a minority. Goals were generated to protect all these people by not letting race,

gender, or disabilities get in the way which is what a quota is. Often people like to refer to quotas

as goals but actually, a ‘goal’ is just a “polite word for inflexible quotas for minority and female

employment” (Leonard, Jonathan S.). The only use of calling a quota a ‘goal’ is to sugarcoat the

true meaning of what it is. Quotas can be demanding at times which hurts the decisions of many

employers because they feel pressured to reach their goals. Due to this pressure, a controversy is

formed about how ethical quotas really are.

There is a huge dilemma going around about if quotas are morally good or bad. Many

minorities feel as though even though quotas were made to help them, they end up hurting them

in the long run. People with disabilities feel this way the most because they often conceal their
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disabilities so that they are seen as a ‘regular person.’ They are afraid of stigmatization and

devaluation which drives them to hide who they are, (Richard, Sarah & Hennekam, Sophie).

Quotas can discourage people of minorities from trying to be seen as equal because the whole

quota system says otherwise. Many people argue if quotas really work or if they are just there so

that businesses don’t get punished for having an all-white male staff. There are positive and

negative outcomes that could happen by hiring with quotas. For example; “[p]ositive outcomes

could, for instance, be social support and work adaptations, which can, in turn, contribute to

enhanced performance and well-being, whereas negative consequences include stigma or social

insecurity, which decreases well-being,” (Richard, Sarah & Hennekam, Sophie). Socially, quotas

can lead to more ideas from many different perspectives but there is still the underlying problem

that people will still see them as ‘outcasts’ and not accept their thoughts. There is no right or

wrong when it comes to quotas which is why they are so controversial. If a person is only hired

due to fit the quota rather than merit, their voices tend to be suppressed while sometimes being

hired that way could be the only way they get their voices to be heard, (Mag, Wake). It seems

that no matter how good a quota may seem, it still hurts the people it's supposed to help. Not

only that it hurts them physically because they can’t speak up, but emotionally and mentally

because their self-confidence has been damaged due to the fact that they feel they were only

picked to reach a goal. Quotas can also make the majority feel as though they will have less of an

opportunity due to the fact that quotas are giving minorities more opportunities, (van Zanten,

Josefine, and Alyson Meister). The whole debate is practically wanting to give more

representation towards minorities while not trying to hurt them or hire someone that is not

qualified. Supporters want “better use of female talent and justice for gender equality” while

opponents feel that “individuals should be able to get aboard positions, regardless of gender.”
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(Sealy, Professor Ruth). Both supporters and opposers want minorities to get the opportunities

they deserve but the only difference is opposers feel like it should be based solely on talent rather

than just trying to meet a goal. Another reason opposers don't like the idea of quotas is that they

are worried people will not be honest on their applications because they want to fit the

requirements or hide something they are ashamed of, (Lee, Matt). The dilemma is not an easy

thing to solve, it is very complex and could go either way. Companies want people to be as

honest as possible on their applications but this tends to be hard for minorities. Minorities just

want to ‘fit in’ and how are they supposed to be seen as a person when employers are specifically

asking for ethnicity or disabilities on their applications.

Quotas cause many problems in the workplace and do more harm than good. Although

quotas are supposed to be inclusive of everyone, they ultimately single people out. Instead of

quotas for gender requiring a certain number from each gender, it feels as though they are made

just to get more females. This is “[b]ecause underrepresentation is a problem that affects only

women and not men due to long-standing gender inequalities,” (Murray, Rainbow). The gender

quota is essentially picking women out to meet their representation goals, this causes problems

because sometimes these women are just adding to a statistic instead of being part of the

company. Even though not all companies do this, there is enough of them that shows that women

“have been selected for office only on the basis of their sex rather than their more tangible

qualities” (Murray, Rainbow). People are going to get a stereotype that all women are not

qualified but it's the company's fault for not picking someone that is and instead of settling just to

satisfy the quota. This is just one example of a diversity quota and how it shows that it hurts the

people it's supposed to protect rather than helping them be heard. The whole concept of the quota

is corrupt because all it can do is force people to hire rather than just finding someone who fits
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the job entirely. “[D]iversity quotas fail to address the true root of the issue: racism and sexism in

the workplace. Quotas merely force a hiring manager to employ minorities,” (Mag, Wake).

Quotas aren’t solving any problems, if anything they are giving people more of a chance to be

racist, sexist, and homophobic. They are just a simple fix to a bigger underlying problem.

Everyone knows that being forced to do something doesn’t solve anything, so why would it work

in the workplace? Experts try to figure out what it is that makes companies have a lack of

diversity and it all roots to the micro individual level, group level, organizational level, and the

macro societal level. This means that the individual is lacking ability, behavior, or motivation,

the group is uncomfortable with the difference, some groups are at a disadvantage due to the

structural issues, and stereotypes prevent people from seeing a minority as a leader, (Sealy,

Professor Ruth). In other words, people are so used to the ‘old ways’ that they refuse to accept

how society has changed. These stigmas in the workplace are the real problem, not the

minorities. Because of these underlying oppressions towards people, it creates an unconscious

bias. This is a problem when it comes to hiring an employee because “it's impossible to have

100% pure, merit-based selection,” (Lee, Matt). The unconscious bias prevents

underrepresented people from getting the opportunities they deserve because employers

psychologically have something against them. Even though sometimes the bias is not intentional,

it still plays a factor in the hiring process which causes problems.

Some people may say that quotas are the only reason minorities are getting hired and will

stop discrimination in the workplace. They feel as though quotas help minorities from being

oppressed and will give them a voice. However, quotas will create more problems because

forcing people to do something will get them nowhere. Quotas aren’t solving anything because

all it really is doing is having a mandate. Just like with COVID and the mask mandates, even
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though it is required, people still won’t wear masks or they will find a way around it. The same

thing will happen with forced quotas, when people are forced, it makes them want to do it less.

In short, diversity quotas are greatly used in the hiring process but shouldn’t be. Quotas

repress and discriminate against minorities more than they are without them. They were intended

to help minorities but ended up hurting them more. Quotas are creating more problems than they

are solving them which is why they should be abolished. In order for a quota to create equality in

a safe environment, it must be changed to actually benefit the minorities.

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Lee, Matt. “Gender Diversity: Quotas vs Targets - WORK180.” WORK180 UK, 6 Feb. 2018,

https://bit.ly/3sWXwUy

Leonard, Jonathan S. 1990. "The Impact of Affirmative Action Regulation and Equal

Employment Law on Black Employment." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 4 (4):

47-63, https://bit.ly/3ehRxEA

Mag, Wake. “Diversity Quotas: A Solution or a Problem?” The Wake, The Wake, 25 Oct. 2018,

https://bit.ly/3goaIPA

Murray, Rachel. “Affirmative Action and Quotas in the Workplace.” She + Geeks Out, 7 Aug.

2019, https://bit.ly/3dAzWbS

Murray, Rainbow. "Quotas for men: Reframing gender quotas as a means of improving

representation for all." American Political Science Review 108.3 (2014): 520-532,
https://bit.ly/3aqjFnI

Richard, Sarah & Hennekam, Sophie. (2020). “When Can a Disability Quota System Empower

Disabled Individuals in the Workplace? The Case of France.” Work Employment &
Society. 10.1177/0950017020946672 https://bit.ly/32pBbUX

Sealy, Professor Ruth. “Questioning Quotas: Ethical Boardroom.” Ethical Boardroom | Global

Governance Issues & Analysis, 16 Mar. 2017, https://bit.ly/3v8WZ3i

van Zanten, Josefine, and Alyson Meister. “Diversity & Inclusion Targets Are More Pressing

than Ever: IMD Article.” IMD Business School, IMD Business School, 27 May 2020,
https://bit.ly/3gw2AN2