SOCY 122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Carol Huynh, Meritocracy, Ascribed Status
15 Jun 2018
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WEEK 5
February 6, 2017
The Image of Meritocracy
- Carol Huynh
o Canadian Olympic freestyle wrestler
o Victories give us a sense that non-racialized societies are possible
o Portrayed as a strong and combative individual however she is constrained by
social expectations to portray herself as a feminine individual
Meritocracy:
- What is it?
o A system of inequality based on earned positions
o Hierarchical ranking and reward system
o Demonstrated performance determines ranking
o Greater merit and reward for those at the top
- The “achievement principle”
o Achievement leads to greater rewards
o Achieved status rather than ascribed status (gender, race, class, ability)
o Achievement based society consistent with classical liberalism and now neo-
liberalism
- Premises of classical liberalism/neo-liberalism and their relation to meritocracy
o The individual-not family, community, or state – is basic unit of society
o Individual free to pursue interests through free movement – seeking upward
mobility through talent and skill (achievement)
o Individuals differ in talents, desire, motivations, and perseverance
o Through the free market that fair completion and exchange establishes a
production and regard system that ensures that diverse interests and competencies
of community/society are best allocated in the interests of the whole
- Inequality of meritocracy is based on equality of opportunity for all
- For the best to rise to the top, everyone must have the opportunity
- One can believe in inequality and equality at the same time – focus on the “object of
inequality”
- Identifying the object of inequality or equality
o Because inequality (or equality) may be dependent on certain inequalities, one
needs to identify the object of study – object of equality to then consider other
equalities and inequalities (e.g. standardized tests)
- What is “equality of condition”?
o Meritocracy requires equality of opportunity and condition
o Everyone starts under the same conditions to ensure the best do rise to the top
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