Meritocracy is a myth, due to nepotism and low social mobility.

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Nepotism

Nepotism is when people grant an advantage, privilege, or position to their relatives or friends in a field.

The term “Nepo Baby” has gained popularity in social media and articles, demonstrating how power and wealth are distributed in society across generations.

“The Skarsgård family is an obvious example of a nepo baby family.”

There are tons of families out there with nepotism, where the parents pass on the opportunities to their kids.

• George H.W. Bush → George W. Bush
• Stellan Skarsgård → Alexander Skarsgård
• Francis Ford Coppola → Sofia Coppola

Because of this, there is no social mobility.

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Social Mobility

Social mobility is the shift in an individual’s social status from one to another.

For example, if you have a high income and your parents have a low income, this is upward income mobility.

“The research we’ve looked at so far, which compares one generation to the next, indicates that social mobility is so low that it takes between 2 and 11 generations for a poor family to achieve average income.”

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Relating to Meritocracy

• Nepotism is crucial, where parents can determine your success, not necessarily your skills or abilities.
• Social mobility is an essential term because moving from low-income to high-income is difficult, but it proves it’s more about wealth than meritocracy.