1958, Michael Young's book The Rise of the Meritocracy came out (meant as a satire about grammar schools)
because of standardised tests (meant to separate wheat from chaff), a very narrow definition of merit was developed and institutionalised
looking at social mobility based on the class one's parents came from vs current class, it's obvious that those higher up have it easier (analogy with climbing a mountain & diff starting points)
the elite class is obviously more exclusive than the others
occupation-wise, some newer job categories are more open to underprivileged
there are pay gaps within each occupation based on social class background
"mutual reinforcement" of advantage in the upper levels of social hierarchy
Savage, M. (2015). Climbing Mountains. In Savage, M. Social Class in the 21st Century. Pelican, pp. 185-218