The idea of meritocracy is deeply appealing.
It paints a picture of a society where talent, effort, and determination are the only keys to success, and where everyone, no matter their background, has the same opportunities to achieve their goals.
It’s a comforting story because it reassures us that the world is fair, that people get what they deserve, and that if we just work hard enough, we’ll succeed. But in reality, this is a myth, one that hides the structural inequalities shaping people’s lives and, in doing so, protects the status quo.
Meritocracy, as it’s often imagined, creates the illusion of a level playing field. It suggests that education, healthcare, housing, and employment are equally accessible to all.
Yet systemic barriers tied to race, class, gender, disability, and other forms of discrimination mean that opportunities are far from equal.
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other racialised communities, these barriers are built into the very systems meant to support wellbeing and success.
Unequal access to quality schools, culturally safe healthcare, affordable housing, and stable jobs are not the results of individual failings, they are the outcomes of structures that advantage some groups over others.
The harm of the meritocracy myth runs deep. First, it shifts the blame for inequity onto individuals, fostering harmful stereotypes that people experiencing racism are somehow responsible for their own disadvantage.
It ignores the fact that hard work alone cannot overcome systemic discrimination. Second, it reinforces existing hierarchies, allowing those with power and privilege to believe that their success is solely the product of their own effort, rather than also the result of unearned advantages.
And third, it gives cover to the systems themselves, allowing them to avoid scrutiny or reform by pretending they operate fairly.
In truth, privilege offers invisible benefits to some; connections, safety nets, assumptions of competence, while systemic barriers block the path for others. When we buy into the meritocracy myth, we overlook these disparities and dismiss the need for targeted action to address them.
We accept inequality as natural or deserved, rather than as something that can and must be dismantled.
Challenging this myth starts with recognising how privilege shapes access to opportunities.
It means being honest about how the playing field is tilted, and whose hands are on the levers. It means supporting initiatives and policies that prioritise equity, not just equality; ensuring that people who’ve been historically excluded get the resources, access, and support they need to truly compete on fair terms.
And it means refusing to judge success or failure solely by individual outcomes, instead asking harder questions about the systems that produce them.
Meritocracy may be an admirable ideal, but pretending it already exists only perpetuates injustice. If we want a society where success really is determined by talent and effort, we have to start by removing the barriers that keep so many from ever getting a fair start.
Oct 30, 2026, 5:10:21 PM