This Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale

I hope everyone is watching this new series on Hulu. I have already watched the initially released three episodes two times each. There just is so much to digest and think about. I guess I should caution that it is not for the faint of heart nor for those that like the status quo.

I don't want to give anything away, but I think I can safely tell a true tale from the early '70's. For today's younger generation you probably couldn't imagine being a young, married, working woman and not being able to have a credit card in your own name. Yep, 'tis true. Any credit card I carried was in my husband's name and noted as Mrs.

"Forty years ago, any woman applying for a credit card could be asked a barrage of questions: Was she married? Did she plan to have children? Many banks required single, divorced or widowed women to bring a man along with them to cosign for a credit card, and some discounted the wages of women by as much as 50 percent when calculating their credit card limits." ~ From Smithsonian.com 

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forty-years-ago-women-had-a-hard-time-getting-credit-cards-180949289/#0FSJuoeaefqr1z3y.99

In 1974 the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed - "which made it  illegal to discriminate against someone based on their gender, race, religion and national origin."

I can still remember how excited I was to apply for my first credit card and opening up the mail that day and seeing my name embossed on the front of the card.

But The Handmaid's Tale is not just about credit cards, but about the plight of women and the plight of our planet, that is all too real in this tenuous world we live in today.

Arm yourself with a little bit of history about the book that the series is based upon before watching, it will make it much more interesting and poignant viewing.