Currently in season 4, The Handmaid's Tale largely focuses on just one Handmaid, June Osborne, but how many others exist in the Republic of Gilead? With both Margaret Atwood's book and the Hulu show portraying the tale of Offred, aka June, the story highlights characters that June comes into with, ranging from Commanders to Marthas. But, for every character, there are millions of those not shown.
Though The Handmaid's Tale has continued long past its source material, the long-form nature of the series lends itself to the in-depth development of this dystopian United States. Show creator Bruce Miller confirmed that Gilead controls the continental United States. Though the resistance is strong, Gilead's brutal army is stronger; its strength lies in its relentless pursuit of power, hiding under the thinly veiled disguise of the religious high ground. Handmaidens are literal vessels for the future in a world with decreasing birth rates, but how many Handmaids are there?
Handmaids appear as the salvation and the solution for the declining birthrate. Back in 2019, a Gilead's population, especially when contrasted to the amount of Marthas in existence. Only a small proportion of these have been shown on The Handmaid's Tale, of course, with around 50 Handmaids either named, mentioned in some form, or glimpsed in the background so far.
A staunch er of Gilead, and rearer of Handmaids, Aunt Lydia emphasizes the importance of every Handmaid, sparing June repeatedly, even in season 4, after the protagonist freed dozens of children from Gilead's clutches at the end of season 3. Surely, she should have died on the wall, but Aunt Lydia "spares" her in the hopes of recovering the other escaped Handmaids. Gilead is known for its blurring of morality in the quest for power. However, knowing the comparatively limited numbers of Handmaids - which have been reduced several times across the show's run, such as the deaths of Alma and Brianna in season 4, episode 3 - and the futile efforts of Handmaids serving infertile commanders, it makes sense that Gilead seeks to ascertain control of their most valuable "commodity."
Due to Gilead's oversight of this underlying issue and lack of a more scientific approach to oppression, Handmaids are indeed rarer than other more dispensable roles created in the totalitarian theocratic regime. It potentially now has fewer than 9,000 Handmaids in total, which is scarcely enough to continue its grip long-term. It begs the question of whether The Handmaid's Tale will show more of new Handmaids in Gilead in season 5 or beyond, especially if it goes past the story of June and further into the future, or if other measures will be found.