Unfortunately there are a lack of 'fair' systems everywhere. Company bosses award themselves salaries that can 1000x what an employee makes. Steemit has similar distortion, but it's still possible for anyone to make something here, unlike more sites that say they pay users. I've made very little anywhere else and zero from things like Youtube. You can look for the bad in Steemit or you can focus on the good stuff that goes on here. If you spend too much time looking for abuse it can wear you down. I've made too many friends to even think about leaving. Even if it stopped paying I'd probably stick around for the community like I did on other sites before there was a chance to get paid.
Hope things improve for you