The concept of femininity is reinforced in The Handmaid’s Tale, as it presents the belief that women are for reproduction and menial household chores that “The Republic of Gilead” is built upon. In the novel handmaids are not meant to use their minds, they are treated as inferiors to their male counterparts and are denied any sort of literature, this reinforces the stereotypical notion of men going out and earning the money while women stay home to perform household chores such as cooking, cleaning and fetching groceries. When Offred is at the doctors she reveals that in Gilead “There is no such thing as a sterile man anymore, not officially. There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren” this leads to how handmaids who fail
