class in the handmaid’s tale

race and gender intersect with each other, as Gilead is a religious patriarchal society
‘intersectionality’ coined by feminist Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989
gender affects a person’s class cause it determines their role and status in society * only fertile women are assigned to be handmaids because their only role in society is to reproduce * determines certain aspects of their lives
people of colour, old women, gay people, and other people who don’t adhere to Gilead’s social ideals are sent to the Colonies
wealthy, able-bodied, educated, straight, white men are able to become Commanders, which increases their status, while all other people are assigned to lower classes

suggests class is determined by ownership of property and labour
suggests there are two main social classes: the proletariat and the bourgeoisie * this structure creates social inequality
Gilead’s proletariat would include handmaids, marthas, jezebels, econopeople, and people who work in the Colonies
Gilead’s bourgeoisie would be commanders, wives, and angels
Marx’s theory doesn’t account for eyes, guardians, and aunts who have some social power but do not have as much influence as upper classes and are not as exploited as the lower classes
Marx’s theory does not accurately describe all of Gilead’s social structure

weber hypothesised that social class is an interplay between class, status, and power * class: a person’s wealth or economic position in society * status: the amount of respect a person or position is regarded by others * power: a person’s ability to get others to do what they want
a person’s class was determined by their position in their means of production, but weber encompassed complex social structures
commanders, wives, and angels have wealth, status, and power
aunts, guardians, and eyes have status and power but not wealth
handmaids, marthas, jezebels, econopeople, and colonies workers do not have wealth, status, or power

class hierarchy is shaped by Gilead’s ideals
the closer a person fits with the values that Gilead promotes, the higher their social status is
men have higher positions than women because Gilead is a patriarchy
older women, LGBT people, and people of colour are sent to the Colonies because they cannot have children or threaten Gilead’s heteronormative and white supremacist ideals

most powerful people and make up the highest class in Gilead
Commanders have a say in the society around them - many Commanders had a key role in designing Gilead
‘Tell them fresh, for the eggs’ ‘And a chicken, tell them, not a hen. Tell them who its for and then they wont mess around.’ * Commander has respect and his status allows him to get a better selection of food at the store
‘The Commander is the head of the household’ * even if the wives have authority over the staff, the husbands have power over their wives

considerable power and influence, but are not as powerful as their husbands because they are women
wives are in charge of all household matters, including staff
‘the transgressions of women in the household, whether martha or handmaid, are supposed to be under the jurisdiction of the wives alone’ * not as powerful as their husbands due to their gender, but the wives’ high social class gives them power over lower classes
allowed certain privileges and luxuries - ride in cars instead of walk, drink coffee, tea, and wine

high-ranking men that serve as Gilead’s solders
guard the red centre and neutralise rebel groups
may qualify for a wife, and a handmaid, after they have served Gilead due to their high social class * wives and handmaids serve as status symbols * angels are high class, but not as high as commanders

Gilead’s secret police
torture and kill citizens suspected of subversive activities, some are informants
presumably all men but this is never mentioned in the novel
offred suggests some guardians may be eyes, but due to the eye’s secrecy this is difficult to confirm