“From each according to her ability; to each according to his needs.”

The phrase “From each according to her ability; to each according to his needs.” appears in the beginning of Chapter Twenty in 'The Handmaid's Tale'. The quote is a sexist restatement of a quotation of 1875 from the writings of Karl Marx, father of Communism. This has been used by Gilead suggesting that once again unless the actions of both men and women can contribute to society then, they should not do it. Relating to the hierarchy of women in the society of Gilead such as; the Handmaids and aunts, this suggests women that were once able to have children the aunts and women that now can the handmaids. Women in the novel such as the Martha’s and the Handmaid’s have roles of their own; Martha’s help run the household by cooking and cleaning and the Handmaid’s respond to the Commander’s ‘needs’.