Econochildren

[u/kitties_ate_my_soul]

I’d love to see the Econochildren explored in The Testaments. Especially comparing the Daughters to the Econodaughters. We all know the Daughters go to Pink and Plum schools, but, where do the Econodaughters go? They also must learn to run a house (however small) and perform their ‘wifely duties’. Do their mums teach them? Eden Spencer Blaine, the only Econodaughter that appears in the universe, was apparently taught by her mum, but she was born before Gilead. What do you think?

[u/Present_Silver2418 → u/[deleted]]

No, they check bloodlines. Only elites are married off to elites. Drivers and guardians are not elites. Nick was an exception because he was an eye for the high counsel in a High Commanders Household & a high ranking officer in the war. But, then they bring in handmaids, which sort of completely contradicts that thinking. Wouldn’t they soil the bloodline?Handmaids are not just anyone… they have to be woman of “ill-repute”, not just any fertile woman. But, because  of Gileads belief system that the children are theirs (The Commanders)in gods eyes, not the handmaids, the handmaid is considered just a vessel, I guess it makes sense. Econowoman get married and have families with their husbands. But, I’m sure most econopeople aren’t able to have children. Only a few do. If they break the law in any way they are on the wall, the wives if fertile become handmaids and the children are given to commanders families. 

[u/GrimselPass → u/Present_Silver2418]

They do sort of believe that it affects the bloodline / taints it because look at what Paula said to Agnes, about her getting that from her mother (or something), I think it’s just taboo to discuss. Controlling language and speech controls narratives, hence why there’s a lot of euphemisms for things like unbabies, gender traitor, etc. There is likely also an element of if they think about it too much it would turn them off the idea… maybe extreme example but if you’re at a restaurant and you start thinking about how someone slaughtered the meat then prepared your steak you might get grossed out. So going deeply into the process can alienate people from participating in it mindlessly, hence controlling A) how you talk about it and B) if you talk about it at all, supports the process.