# wages are determined by the cost of the reproduction of the worker

tags
: [[wages]] [[capital]] [[labor-power]]

source
: [[Capital Vol. 1]]

In Capital Vol. 1, [[Marx]] hypothesizes that wages are determined by the cost of the reproduction of the worker. [[Workers only have their labor-power to sell]], and as such must reproduce their labor-power day-to-day. This would mean being able to purchase [[means of subsistence]] such as food and housing.

I think Marx was mostly right about this, however I think that in places like the United States the picutre is more complicated, as many workers make less than the cost of reproducing themselves.