Is meritocracy a myth? A new documentary released by Channel 4 sheds light on the lives of children of famous parents, with one claiming that so-called "nepo babies" have never faced “so much hate”.
Nepo baby truths revealed in TV test
Is meritocracy a myth? A new documentary released by Channel 4 sheds light on the lives of children of famous parents, with one claiming that so-called "nepo babies" have never faced "so much hate".
Have you ever wondered where the common phrase "Bob's your uncle" came from? You might be surprised by the answer.
Many believe it originated as a reference to nepotismWhere those with power, wealth or influence favour relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.. In 1887, Britain's Prime Minister Robert "Bob" Gascoyne-Cecil decided to give his nephew, Arthur Balfour, a significant governmental position: Chief Secretary for Ireland.
The decision was hugely unpopular. Balfour had little to no experience. And if he had ever asked anyone why he had been given the role, the answer would have been clear: "Bob's your uncle."
The word nepotism derives from the Latin root word nepos, meaning "nephew". It referred originally to the practice of Catholic popes and bishops assigning their nephews, sons or other relatives to important positions in the church.
Who are some of the most famous nepo babies today? You might think of Dakota Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Brooklyn Beckham, Robert Downey Jr or Lily-Rose Depp, celebrities who all have family members in show business. Or Spice Girl Mel B's daughter, who recently claimed that nepo babies face more hate today than ever before.
But you could cast your net further back in history - for example, to Augustus Caesar, appointed the first Roman emperor by his father, Julius Caesar.
Or Robert F Kennedy, who sparked a law to ban federal officials from hiring their close family members after his older brother and US president John F Kennedy appointed him Attorney General of the United States in 1967.
You might think of dynasties, absolute monarchies or hereditary dictatorships like Azerbaijan's Aliyevs or Saudi Arabia's House of Saud, where one family rules over a country for generations.
These are all still only the most high-profile examples. Nepotism is widespread even among normal people. In a 2023 poll of working-age adults in London, half of respondents said that they got their job through personal connections.1
And it is getting worse, not better. Surveys also found that the generation that has benefited most from nepotism in the job market is Gen ZShort for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.. More than two-thirds of people in that age group had landed a job through nepotism, with men a third more likely to have done so than women.2
Why have we failed so resoundingly to create a society based on merit over connections? It seems straightforward: a fair society is one where everybody has a chance to succeed. But as it turns out, many are not certain that a meritocratic system would be any better.
After all, the word meritocracy was coined by somebody who used it disparaginglyIn a way that is critical, unkind, or belittling.. The British sociologist Michael Young used the word for the first time in his The Rise of the Meritocracy in 1958.
Young's text is about a dystopianRelating to an imagined society where there is great suffering or injustice. society which has become stratifiedLayered. by perceived merit, creating a power-hungry elite with delusions of its own superiority, and a disenfranchisedDeprived of privileges. One example is the right to vote. underclass from whom power is withheld because they are not seen as fit to wield it.
In short, Young thought a meritocracy would become a dictatorship of the talented. It would reproduce all of the inequalities of a nepotistic system under the guise of morality.
Is meritocracy a myth?
Yes: No society has ever been truly meritocratic, not even the most equal societies in the world. Everything in life is set up to benefit a narrow elite who all know each other and seek to conserve power and authority in their small circle of acquaintances.
No: We live in a far more meritocratic society now than we did in the past. Reforming education, employment rights and civil rights has helped us to ensure that talent does not go unnoticed because of lack of privilege.
Or... Meritocracy is no more fair than nepotism. Why should you earn more and live a better life just because you have the advantage of intelligence or talent? Under a meritocratic system, you could justify a CEO earning 1,000 times as much as one of his unskilled workers.
Nepotism - Where those with power, wealth or influence favour relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.
Gen Z - Short for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Disparagingly - In a way that is critical, unkind, or belittling.
Dystopian - Relating to an imagined society where there is great suffering or injustice.
Stratified - Layered.
Disenfranchised - Deprived of privileges. One example is the right to vote.
Nepo baby truths revealed in TV test

Glossary
Nepotism - Where those with power, wealth or influence favour relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.
Gen Z - Short for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Disparagingly - In a way that is critical, unkind, or belittling.
Dystopian - Relating to an imagined society where there is great suffering or injustice.
Stratified - Layered.
Disenfranchised - Deprived of privileges. One example is the right to vote.