Fertility, Occupation, Gender, Class The people living in Gilead are segregated into different roles based on many factors. Fertility decides mainly which category they are put into. Fertile women become Handmaid’s. Their job in the time before also has an effect on which category they are segregated into. Gender is also a main component to which category people are segregated into, as all categories are single sex. The main categories in the novel are the female ones. Class is also a factor that segregates the people as each role has a different rank in society.

Martha’s Older women that were more domestic and household based in the time before are segregated into the Martha’s as their role is to be the maid of the house, doing the cleaning, cooking and other household chores in the house. They are segregated into this role because they already have the skills of being a household and domestic women as they had similar jobs in the time before. They are also all infertile. Only women can become Martha’s as their role is a traditional woman’s job. They are quite low ranked in the society as they are the maids of the house.

Aunt’s Older women that had high authority in their jobs in the time before such as policewomen and well educated women such as teachers are segregated into the Aunt’s role, this is because their role in Gilead is to control, train and teach the Handmaid’s about the new Gilead society and keep them in order which is similar to their past job so they will be confident with their new role as they have experience. Only women can become Aunt’s as an Aunt is a motherly figure for the Handmaids so restricted to women only. They are the only literate women in the institute which gives them a higher ranking than other women in the society as language is power. "The Aunts are allowed to read and write." They are also infertile.

The Commander’s Wives The women that are married to high ranking men in the time before become Commander’s wives as their husbands therefore become Commander’s in the new society. Their job in the time before doesn’t necessarily matter as they are married into the role. They have the most power out of the women in Gilead as they are the highest ranked women. They are also infertile so have Handmaid’s to bear children for them and their husband.

Econowives Married women who had average jobs in the time before become econowives. Their role is to do chores of a normal wife in the time before and live normally. Women become an econowife if they married a low ranking man and they are therefore low ranked women. They live a normal life with their husbands outside the Gilead society. They wear red, blue and green dresses to represent all the roles they perform. Some econowives are fertile so can bear children for them and their husband.

Handmaid’s Younger women that are fertile become Handmaids, their job in the time before doesn’t matter, the only requirement they need for a Handmaid is fertility as they are used to breed more children for the Commander’s wives. They need no skills from a previous job to be a Handmaid as they have other women to do the chores and other jobs in the house. They are solely used for their breeding assets. Handmaid’s are meant to be perceived as low ranked to other women in the society but they actually hold the most power in Gilead as they complete the aim of Gilead society to bear more children.

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