Member-only story
Herland: A Society Without Men vs. Our Modern World — Rethinking Gender, Power, and Progress
We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” but Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland stretches this idea to a thought-provoking extreme. Published in 1915, Herland imagines a utopian society where women thrive without the presence of men. This feminist utopia raises deep questions about gender roles, societal expectations, and the structures that govern our lives.
At first glance, it might seem like a quaint piece of speculative fiction. However, Herland challenges us to question our assumptions about gender, community, and power.
The Gendered Lens of Society
In our world, gender roles and expectations are ingrained into the very fabric of society. Many people, like Terry, one of the male protagonists in Herland, assume that women must rely on men for protection, leadership, or direction. Terry views women as inferior, needing his dominance to function effectively. These assumptions aren’t isolated to fiction. They’re pervasive in the real world, even today. Traditional gender roles dictate behavior, opportunity, and identity, limiting the potential for both men and women.
