Econowives

The Econowives are the married women of the poorer men in the Republic of Gilead, a class defined by their striped dresses—red, blue, and green, cheap and skimpy—and by the fact that they are "not divided into functions." Unlike the specialized castes of Handmaids, Marthas, or Wives, an Econowife must perform every domestic and reproductive task herself: cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, and sexual service, all without the assistance of servants or the ritualized support that other women receive. Their clothing marks them as both married and poor, a visible sign of their low status in a society that prizes hierarchy and specialization. They are the women who have no access to the privileges of the elite, yet they are still bound by the same laws that govern all women in Gilead.

Position in the Social Hierarchy

The Econowives occupy the lowest tier of married women, beneath the Wives of Commanders and even below the Handmaids in some respects. While Handmaids are valued for their reproductive potential and are given a degree of protection and care, Econowives are largely invisible, their labor taken for granted. They are the women who might have been Handmaids or Marthas had they been younger, fertile, or more fortunate, but who now must make do with whatever their husbands can provide. Their lives are hard, their faces worn, and their dresses shabby, as seen in the funeral procession where an Econowife carries a small black jar containing the remains of a miscarried fetus, her grief compounded by the knowledge that the child was too young to be classified as an Unbaby. The other Econowives who accompany her spit on the ground as Handmaids pass, a gesture of contempt that reveals the deep resentment these women feel toward those who have been given a defined, if degrading, role.

Relations with Other Women

The Econowives' hostility toward Handmaids is palpable and openly expressed. When Offred and Ofglen pause to show respect for a funeral procession, the bereaved mother scowls at them, and one of the mourners turns aside to spit on the sidewalk. This animosity stems from a sense of injustice: the Econowives see Handmaids as receiving privileges—regular meals, medical care, a place in a Commander's household—that they themselves are denied, while still being subject to the same fundamental control over their bodies and lives. The Handmaids, in turn, recognize the Econowives' hatred but also their own precariousness; any Handmaid who fails to conceive or who falls out of favor risks being reclassified as an Econowife or worse. The two groups are divided by a thin line of status, but the line is fiercely guarded.

Narrative Significance

The Econowives serve as a constant reminder of the regime's totalizing reach and the fate that awaits those who cannot secure a place within its rigid caste system. They are the women who have "fallen on dry ground or thorns," as Aunt Lydia would say, the ones who did not make it through the selection process to become Handmaids or who were never chosen to be Wives. Their presence in the streets, in the shops, and at funerals underscores the fact that Gilead's control extends to every woman, regardless of her husband's rank. The Econowives are also a source of information and gossip, as they move through the city and observe the workings of households that are closed to them. Their resentment and their suffering are part of the background noise of Gilead, a constant low-level hum of discontent that the regime must manage but can never fully silence.