Abstract

I argue that asymmetries in taste and talent can explain markets in bodily services, just as they explain other kinds of work. While inequality is a powerful explanation for participation in bodily-service markets, such markets are not unique in their reliance on inequality. Finally, I address another kind of inequality that deserves our attention -- the advantage of the providers of bodily services over those who require them. While those who suffer from infertility or face the terror of organ failure may have a financial advantage over others, they may still be worse off than fertile and organ-rich people who suffer economic or social disadvantage. Egalitarians ought to concern themselves with the whole scope of disadvantage, not just economic disadvantage.