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Why do Commanders have Handmaids?
Commanders have Handmaids because the society has deemed it necessary that a high-powered, and presumably older, man should reproduce. A Handmaid, and the reproduction that she represents, is a symbol of a man's wealth and status. The Handmaid has no romantic or even sexualized role; she is essentially a reproductive slave. There is no equivalent male role: male infertility is not recognized as existing at all, and the inability to have a child is presumed to be the fault of a woman.
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What privileges do Wives have? What disadvantages do they have?
Wives have more privileges than Handmaids: they don't have to worry...
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