They have started to catch up in pay too. Truth is the most deserving candidates don't always get the job. Factors such as favoritism, brownnosing, bad luck, club ties, and even discrimination get in the way.
Merit is often a small part of who gets hired or promoted.
No study has empirically demonstrated that unqualified women and minorities are receiving positions solely on the basis of affirmative action. There is evidence however which does suggest that white men get positions due to factors other than merit. Quotas are the backbone of affirmative action programs Quotas are specifically prohibited by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Executive Order 11246 never mentions numerical targets. The only circumstance in which quotas are used is as a last resort, court ordered tool to redress rampant discrimination uncovered as a result of a successful lawsuit.