ABSTRACT
In the case of the labor theory of value, the error lay in thinking that commodities ought to exchange for the amount of labor invested in producing them, with the inference that labor deserved to receive the entire product. For comparable worth, the error lies in assuming that jobs have objective value that can be measured and compared, with the inference that if the price of labor in the marketplace differs from the ideal calculation, then the market is contaminated by discrimination and biased against women. Both theories are fallacious, as are the inferences drawn from them, yet the labor theory commands loyal disciples—mostly among Western intellectuals and not their counterparts in the East. The time has passed for women to plead with men for a fair chance in the marketplace; they have that chance, and they should be encouraged to continue taking advantage of it. The choice seems obvious: retrogress with comparable worth, or progress with the market.
