The handmaids are served by the Marthas. The Marthas are women who are not fertile and are not wives nor are they "unwomen." They serve the household, the wives, the commanders and the handmaids. They wear a dull green outfit that distinguishes them from the other women. Their duties include cooking, cleaning, serving the handmaids and watching them when they bathe. .
Econowives are women that are fertile and they are assigned to the poorer men. They have a very low status in society. They often envy the handmaids. In the market one is showing off her swollen pregnant belly, this is the only time that a handmaid would envy econowives. .
In the Red Centre the Aunts train the handmaids. The Aunts introduce them to Gileadean ideology, they teach them the rules and what is necessary to survive. They are powerful women, they are able to posses weapons and they are allowed to read books and literature. These women are allowed more mobility rights and possess more power than even the commander's wives. There are two Aunts that the author speaks of, Aunt Lydia, who she remembers as a strict Aunt, and Aunt Elizabeth who was attacked by Moira.
The elite, barren couples are the head of the household. The wives must welcome the handmaids, although there are mixed feeling of hatred and jealousy due to the nature of the handmaid's duty. The wives are often unhappy in this ill-advised religion ridden society, they too are trapped in this new world that they cannot free themselves from. They go about their day and fill it with little activities they enjoy such as gardening and knitting and try to make their lives have some meaning. They two are prisoners. The commanders go about their lives, attending formal events and fulfilling their duties. .
In the shopping area while outside the gates that are guarded by the Angels, Japanese tourists who ask them a few questions approach the pair of handmaids, they are hesitant to answer.