Nepotism is the act of granting an advantage , privilege, or position to relatives or close friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to: business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion, and other activities. [1] [2] The term originated with the assignment of nephews to important positions by Catholic popes and bishops. [3]
Nepotism has been criticized since ancient history by several philosophers, including Aristotle , Valluvar , and Confucius , condemning it as both evil and unwise. [4]
The term comes from Italian word nepotismo , [5] [6] which is based on Latin root nepos meaning nephew. [7] Since the Middle Ages and until the late 17th century, some Catholic popes and bishops – who had taken vows of chastity and, therefore, usually had no legitimate offspring of their own – gave their nephews such positions of preference as were often accorded by fathers to sons. [8]