If you have worked hard and flourished in the current system, it’s hard to hear that the odds have been stacked in your favour. You want to believe that you made it through your own talent and grit.

The problem is, our current ‘meritocratic’ system is anything but.

There are two key problems with the concept of meritocracy in the world of work. The first is that bias exists at each stage of the employment process. The second is that women and men do not start from an even playing field.

Explore this topic more in our factsheet on the problem with merit.