Reserved Yet Excluded: an Analysis of Job Quota Policies and the Marginalization of Women with Disabilities in Kohat Division, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study investigates the role of job quota implementation (independent variable) in shaping the social exclusion experienced by women with disabilities (dependent variable) in Kohat Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Utilizing a Quantitative, Cross-Sectional survey design, a sample of 370 respondents was proportionally selected across the districts of the division. Methodological rigor was ensured through coordination with district Social Welfare Offices to accurately identify eligible participants, while senior instructors facilitated the interpretation of responses from hearing- and speech-impaired respondents, enhancing the reliability and validity of the structured instrument. The study focused on women with physical, auditory, verbal, and stature-related disabilities, deliberately excluding individuals with intellectual impairments to maintain conceptual clarity. Internal consistency of the measurement scale was confirmed via Cronbach’s Alpha, yielding a coefficient of 0.87. Bivariate relationships were examined using Chi-Square (χ²) tests, and Kendall’s Tau-b (Tb) assessed the strength and direction of associations. Analysis of the complete dataset revealed a statistically significant and non-spurious relationship between job quota and social exclusion (χ² = 25.706, p = .000; Tb = .264), indicating that the effect of quota policies persists independently of education. The findings underscore the critical influence of job quota provision on mitigating social exclusion, while also highlighting how educational attainment can modulate the intensity of exclusionary experiences, demonstrating the complex interplay between structural policy mechanisms and individual socio-demographic factors.