>If anything, the system of recruiting for faculty positions has become MORE objective and meritocratic over the past few decades. I don't think one can reach

>If anything, the system of recruiting for faculty positions has become MORE objective and meritocratic over the past few decades. 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.