meritocracy
Summary
A meritocracy is a system in which position and rewards are assigned by merit (ability, effort, achievement) rather than ascribed traits like family background. It is an ideal; conflict theorists argue unequal access to resources means real societies only partly achieve it.
Detail
Meaning: A meritocracy is a system in which people gain position and rewards through merit (ability, effort, achievement) rather than ascribed status such as family background, race, or sex. It implies achieved status and high social mobility, and it is often used to justify unequal outcomes as fair.
On the MCAT: Expect it in stratification passages. Functionalism (the Davis-Moore view) says unequal rewards motivate talented people to fill important positions. Conflict theory says the meritocracy belief legitimizes inequality, because family wealth, school quality, and cultural capital shape who can demonstrate merit. A question may show that parental income strongly predicts adult income and ask what that implies: low intergenerational mobility undermines the claim of meritocracy.
Common confusion: Meritocracy is not a society with equal outcomes or one that is already fair. It describes how positions are meant to be assigned, and it still produces inequality. Real societies only partly meet the ideal, since people start with unequal resources, and a caste system, based on ascribed status, is its opposite.
Sources
- Sociology
- Introduction to Sociology
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.