Feminism NOW The Myth of Meritocracy
Apr 8, 2026
Sarah Kaplan, Professor Emerita and founding director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy, advises on board diversity, pay equity, and inclusive innovation. She dismantles the myth of meritocracy. Short takes cover how everyday products and systems disadvantage women, why quotas can boost quality, how merit is gendered, and why systemic fixes beat individual solutions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
How Sarah Kaplan Shifted Into Gender And Economy Work
- Sarah Kaplan became a gender-economy scholar after decades in innovation and anger at stagnating progress by 2016.
- She founded the Institute for Gender and the Economy to translate research into corporate practice and policy.
Gender Bias Extends Into Products And Innovation
- The cost of being a woman extends beyond wages to products, services, and innovation.
- Kaplan gives examples: car crash dummies tailored only recently to women, drugs not tested on women, ride-share safety gaps.
Meritocracy Is A Justification For Privilege
- Meritocracy is a myth used to justify privilege and hide systemic advantages.
- Sarah Kaplan shows companies claim meritocracy to resist diversity even though research shows quotas and targets raise quality.
