There haven't been hundreds of years of meritocracy. For one, women have only even been allowed to attend university since the mid 1800s, and only got the right to degrees much later. You can't have a so-called meritocracy when half te population isn't even allowed to particpate. At best, we've maybe had 35 years of meritocracy.

Secondly, where's your evidence? Your statement seems to be total conjecture.