| Yes!!! 1) Before the 19th century science was the domain of the landed gentry or those who could find sponsorship from someone of means. Things have been different since then, but positions have always depended on academic pedigree. It has always been (and likely will continue to be) easier to get a permanent position at a great science University if your academic training ran through a great science University. This makes sense in some ways, but it also reflects residual bias (i.e. the halo effect of great Universities). 2) If anything, the system of recruiting for faculty positions has become MORE objective and meritocratic over the past few decades. Here is a true story that one of my older colleagues tells about getting his first academic job in 1964: a senior Professor called my colleague's Harvard PhD advisor and said, "We need someone in your area. Do you have any good students at the moment?" Six months later my senior colleague had a job at UC. That can't really happen any more (though the system is still far from perfect). 3) One thing that has changed is the ratio of applicants to positions. This has gotten a lot worse over the years. As a result, training has stretched out quite a bit. Postdocs are common/expected in many areas of science now, and they are often fairly long. But many of the most capable and persistent manage to find a way. 4) Always remember, science is ultimately about people. Therefore, it is inevitably political. Heck, if it weren't for the fact that, in the long run, science ultimately has to explain and predict things in the real world, it would be just as dysfunctional as Congress... |
I don't think one can reach that conclusion (or the opposite one) yet; there's plenty of people who have found new ways to game the system in order to secure their future, so that counteracts many of the systematic measures that exist to create a fair platform for everyone.