Oppression In The Handmaid's Tale

The social oppression of women by stripping their reproductive rights has been common throughout history. Even in the United States, the ability of women to access abortions has become severely restricted. In some cultures, reproductive abilities do give women rights and power while in others, it relegated women to be second class citizens as they as seen as unable to move up in the world. They are relegated to household tasks. This can be seen commonly within Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaids Tale. Within this novel we can see the different levels of social oppression of women through the society of Gilead. The Handmaid’s Tale assigns different roles of women based on their reproductive abilities in order to disempower them from fighting

It goes from: Unwomen, Econowife, Martha, Handmaid, Aunt, Wife. These classes are based on the women’s ability to procreate or the husband that they choose to marry and procreate with. Women are the only gender that can be deemed as “infertile”. This takes away power from the women and oppresses them further because they are unable to get to the root of why they cannot have children because the males are seen as always being fertile and ready to make a child. With an Unwoman, this woman was deemed infertile. This could possibly not be her own fault, as it could be the Commander himself that is having fertility issues. Within Gilead’s society, men are never considered to be possibly infertile. Offred, while she’s at the doctor and hears him mention the possibility of her commander being sterile, says, “There is no such thing as a sterile man anymore, not officially. There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren” (61). By dividing women into these two groups, Gilead society can exert a sense of fear towards those who are possibly fertile to keep them in line to not end up like an Unwoman. Some of the doctors take advantage of the fact that the women are so desperate for children as to not be deemed an Unwoman. Offred’s doctor tells her, “I could help you. I’ve helped others…Lots of women do it…You want a baby, don’t you?” (60-61). This shows how the male doctors take advantage of the fear that Gilead creates of becoming an Unwoman. Gilead society does this though disenfranchising women who are not fertile, forcing the Handmaids themselves to risk death just to have the possibility of not becoming an Unwoman. This divide is also seen again with the fact that older women are sent to the colonies. Moira tells Offred, “It’s old women- I bet you’ve been wondering why you haven’t seen too many around anymore-and Handmaids who’ve screwed up their three chances, and incorrigibles like