An Essay on Debates on Quotas and Reservations in Different Nations

This essay delves into the complex debates surrounding quota and reservation systems, focusing on their implementation and impact in India and Australia. It examines the historical context, objectives, and arguments for and against these policies, highlighting their role in promoting equality, addressing discrimination, and ensuring representation for marginalized groups such as women, minority groups, and backward classes. The essay analyzes the specific approaches taken in each country, including the use of quotas for women in Australia and the caste-based reservation system in India. It explores sociological perspectives, the impact on meritocracy, and the political considerations involved, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges and controversies associated with these policies. The essay also references scholarly articles to support arguments and provide context for the debates. Overall, the essay provides a comparative analysis of the policies and promotes understanding of the nuances of the debates.

Running head: DEBATES ON QUOTAS AND RESERVATIONS
Debates on Quotas and Reservations
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
Author Note:

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Debates on Quotas and Reservations
The Reservation system or the Quota system is a policy that is came during the year 1921
in the US to preserve the rights and the roles of the immigrants and the minority group
members. The reservations system also limits the rights of the same. It also provides a
government and the organization as of a governmental system of a country, both public and
private, with the obligation to hire a number of people or an amount or percentage of
candidates belonging to the same category. This system or reservation or quota is prevalent
all through the world, both in developed and developing countries (Dahlerup. 2013). In India,
along with acquiring the freedom, the country had also included the quota system. India was
a diverse country, with people from all the communities existing together. The country was
also exposed to certain social stratification and social limitation, which, the country tried to
address with the initiation of the reservation and thee quota policies. In Australia, the country
down under as well, there were certain level of inequalities that were being practiced. This
level of inequality, were mostly seen again towards the women of the country. Therefore, to
address the practice of inequality against women, the country introduced the system of
reservation for the women. The country has also a considerate number of aboriginals in the
country, who are also faced with certain level of inequalities, at certain levels (Chauchard.
2017). However the country has not initiated many forms of reservations system for the
aboriginals of the country yet. Therefore, the prime objectives of the reservation or the quota
policies are,
 To allow equal opportunities for the immigrants, and the backward classes, who are
excluded from or provided with lesser or no opportunities to get participated in the
academics, in the political bodies and also in the professional field (McCann. 2013)
 To ensure the rights for the minority classes, races, gender, and also for the elderly of
a country.
 To make the marginalized people of a society to regain their rights (Klarsfeld. 2014).

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Debates on Quotas and Reservations
Therefore, the following essay will discuss about the practices of the reservation and
quota policies of a country and the also will present an argument on the notions, opinions and
views both in the support and contrary of the concept or the practice. The essay will also
illustrate upon the meanings of the concepts.
Debates on Quotas and Reservation Systems:
To initiate the debate upon the Quota and reservation system, it is important to
understand the levels where the Quota and the reservation system have been introduced, in
the countries of Australia and India.
In Australia the reservation policies have been used especially fort the women of the
country in order to empower the women section of the country and to practice of Gender
equity and equality across the country. The reservation policy that has been introduced in the
country in order to include and practice women’s empowerment and to enable the women of
the country to practice their participation in the politics of the country. The reservation policy
of Australia also aims to practice gender equality at all the spheres of the country, and include
the women into the decision making process and provide them with the access to practice
power. The inclusion of women in the decision making process and in the power structure,
that is in the political and educational system of the country, is the fundamental aim of the
country in order to achieve equality and peace within the country. The county has observed
that women can play and take influential roles in the politics and decision making processes
of the country, which in turn can prove to be very effective, yet women are under-represented
in this sector, especially in the leadership roles (Dahlerup. 2013). Therefore, in order to
preserve their role and rights, the country has recently introduced the quota or the reservation
for the women, to enable them to practice the active participation in the fields of politics.

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Debates on Quotas and Reservations
In India, the reservation policies and systems were included in order to address the
situations of discrimination, governing in the country. India is a diversified country, with a
system of stratification within the country. There are many minority groups and lower
stratified people who are not provided with equal rights and opportunities. These people
belonging to the lower strata and minority groups do not enjoy any kind of freedom or
political representation and they even lack educational and economic opportunities (Rai and
Nehru. 2015). Therefore, in order to address the grievances and make these people enable to
actively participate in the educational, economic and decision making processes of the
country, the government of the country had initiated the quota and the reservation policy.
However, in the present situation, the reservation system are facing certain issues,
regarding their structure, and there are varied opinions regarding their essentiality or their
importance in the country. Researchers are seen with opinions both in the support of the
system and against the same.
In case of Australia, the researchers are of the opinion that the concept of gender
equality is an internationally fundamental element for the promotion of an accountable and
sustainable government that practices social cohesion. It is the fundamental claim in many
international conventions and declarations. The sociologists are of the opinion that in order to
make the women of a society, be visible in the power structure and in the decision making
process of the country, and the sociologist are of the opinion that to ensure women
representation in the decision making system of a country, it is essential to include and ensure
a sound policy and structure of quotas. The quota system must be included in order to
empower the women, to provide them the base, upon which they can grow (Goodall &Ghosh.
2015). However, along with the perception that the quota system for the women should be in
practice, there are opinions that negate this fact. The arguments that stand against the women
reservation policy, state that women cannot or should not be included in the decision making

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Debates on Quotas and Reservations
policy. The researcher believe that women lack the capability to exercise a decision making
process, and they also lack the capability to participate in a leadership activity (Jericho.
2015). These views are more traditional in approach. Moreover, the researchers are of the
opinion that women are borne in order to take care of the conduct within the house, and
therefore, as they do not have to practice any decision making process outside home,
therefore, it is not necessary to provide them with opportunities for higher studies, the basic
decision making process can be done with the basic educational needs. More importantly,
although the women reservation policy have been included in the social structure of many
societies, yet it is seen that there is an under representation of women in the parliamentary or
political system of the country, and it is essentially because of the legal injustice that are
governing in the social structures and the violence against women (Jeffreys. 2013).
In India, as mentioned before, the reservation policies are essentially practiced for the
minority groups and the backward classes. However, the sociologists are of the opinion that
the reservation policy acts as an inner partition within the country, deepening the caste
system and other social stratifications. The researchers are also of the opinion that the
reservation policy negates the aspects of meritocracy, thus denying the opportunities to the
potential and the deserved candidates. The caste based reservation policies, as according to
the researchers, indirectly promotes the discrimination and implies a social thought that
denies acceptance to these lower caste grouped people (Jensenius. 2015). The researchers are
also of the opinion that the reservation policies governing in the country are traditional in
approach and they are needed to be redressed, as the propensity and the reach of the
reservation policies have become limited, thus creating a creamy layer within the society, that
re providing more and more opportunities to the sections of the society, who may be
backward from the caste perspective, but in case of the class related stratification, they belong
to a higher class, and therefore, they do not need the opportunities provided by the

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Debates on Quotas and Reservations
reservation policies of the society. The researchers are also of the opinion that the present
reservation structure governing in the society are practiced to fulfill the political agendas of
the political leaders that is to increase the vote bank for the political parties (Jangir. 2013).
However, those in support of the reservation policies are of the opinion that the reservation
policy is important for a country like India, where it is difficult to reach and address the needs
of the economically and socially backward people. Also, to create opportunities for the
historically oppressed social groups, the reservation policy is the most effective way
(Jensenius, 2015, pp. 196- 220).
Therefore, as a concluding point, it can be said that two different countries are facing
different sets of challenges regarding the implication and practice of the reservation system.
In India, the policies and the structure are needed to be redressed. While, in Australia, the
people must be educated enough to understand the significance for the practice of the women
reservation policies.

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References:
Chauchard, S. 2017. Why Representation Matters: The meaning of ethnic quotas in rural
India. Cambridge University Press.
Dahlerup, D., 2013. Women, quotas and politics. Routledge.
Goodall, H. and Ghosh, D., 2015. Beyond the ‘poison of prejudice’Indian and Australian
women talk about the White Australia policy. History Australia, 12(1), pp.116-140.
Jangir, S.K., 2013. Reservation policy and Indian constitution in India. American
International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 3(1), pp.126-128.
Jeffreys, S., 2013. Man's Dominion: The Rise of Religion and the Eclipse of Women's Rights.
Routledge.
Jensenius, F.R., 2015. Development from representation? A study of quotas for the scheduled
castes in India. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 7(3), pp.196-220.
Jensenius, F.R., 2015. Mired in reservations: The path-dependent history of electoral quotas
in India. The Journal of Asian Studies, 74(1), pp.85-105.
Jericho, J., 2015. Hegemonic Masculinity in the Australian Defence Force–the Exclusion of
Women from Combat Service as State Policy, 1973-2013.
Klarsfeld, A., Booysen, L., Ng, E., Roper, I. and Tatli, A. 2014. Equality and Diversity in 14
countries: analysis and summary.
McCann, J. 2013. Electoral quotas for women: An international overview. Parliamentary
Library.

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Rai, A. and Nehru, J. 2015. POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN INDIA:
STATUS AND CHALLENGES.