I know, it's almost like there's a market or something!

Back in the 80's, they made a lot of ballyhoo over "comparable worth", basically claiming receptionists added equivalent value to what construction workers did, so they should be payed the same.

Of course this was rubbish, and its failure to gain permanent traction indicates that pretty much everyone outside the academy knew it was rubbish. At some level, I guess people know that market prices do not directly track value, that "worth" is subjective and situational, and that there is a premium for work fewer people are able to do.