Il merito delle donne, most commonly translated The Worth of Women: Wherein is Clearly Revealed Their Nobility and Their Superiority to Men, is a dialogue by Moderata Fonte first published posthumously in 1600.

Many families were then unable to send their unwed daughters to convents which led to what Cox describes as the introduction of the "virtually unprecedented figure of the secular spinster".

[14] Virginia Cox's English translation of Il merito della donne, The Worth of Women, was first published by the University of Chicago Press in 1997 as part of their Other Voice in Early Modern Europe series.

The 2018 edition omitted most of the scholarly footnotes and appendices published with the earlier version in an attempt to encourage a broader audience to read the text.

[15] Adriana Chemello, Paola Malpezzi Prize, and Margaret King have all claimed that Corinna, of all the women in the dialogue, comes the closest to representing Fonte's own views and character.

However, James finds that Fonte departs from Cicero in that she claims that men, rather than women, lack "amicitia", the essential virtue of friendship.

[22][10] Kairos Italy Theater's adaptation of The Worth of Women made its United States' premiere in spring 2017 as part of Carnegie Hall's "La Serenissima" festival.

The cast was Carlotta Brentan, Laura Caparrotti, Tali Custer, Aileen Lanni, Marta Mondelli, Irene Turri, and Annie Watkins.