Why Feminist Dystopian Fiction Is On The Rise

Over the past few decades, feminist dystopian fiction has exploded in both publication and popularity. With debates around gender equality reaching peak intensity, this literary trend has burgeoned within a polarized cultural climate. In the wake of movements such as #MeToo, the rollback of Roe v. Wade in the U.S., and the global resurgence of authoritarianism, novels such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), Naomi Alderman’s The Power (2016), and Christina Dalcher’s Vox (2018) have not only garnered commercial success but have also become cultural touchstones for feminist discourse.

These novels raise an important question: Why are so many people turning to feminist dystopian fiction now, and what does it say about this current cultural moment?

To answer either of these questions, we must situate the rise of feminist dystopian novels within the conditions of their production and reception. The #MeToo movement, which took the internet by storm in 2017, exposed sexual violence and started global conversations about gender-based abuses of power as a systemic and institutional issue. At the same time, legislative efforts to restrict reproductive rights, such as the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, made many people fear for women’s freedom and autonomy. Feminist dystopian fiction offers an imaginative response to these real-world developments, projecting speculative futures that reflect the anxieties of the present. 

Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale remains the genre’s most iconic archetype. Set in the theocratic Republic of Gilead, the novel presents a society where fertile women, or “Handmaids,” are forced into reproductive servitude. Atwood famously noted that every abuse in the book is based on historical precedent. This connection has led many readers and critics to consider the novel disturbingly prophetic. In response to recent reproductive legislation in the U.S., the red robes of the Handmaids have become symbols of protest at marches and rallies, which goes to show the novel’s ongoing cultural relevance.

Naomi Alderman’s The Power offers a radical inversion of patriarchal norms by imagining a world where women develop the ability to emit electrical energy from their bodies, leading to a global inversion of power dynamics. Rather than offering a utopian vision, Alderman’s novel interrogates the nature of power itself, suggesting that systemic oppression is not gender-exclusive but ingrained in power’s corruptive essence. Through characters such as Roxy and Allie, the novel examines how violence, control, and fanaticism can manifest even when traditional power structures are inverted. As feminist scholar Sarah Hagelin observes, The Power “problematizes feminist optimism by demonstrating how power replicates itself through domination, regardless of who wields it” (Hagelin, 2019).

Christina Dalcher’s Vox takes on the politics of language. In her dystopian America, where women are restricted to speaking only 100 words per day, the novel examines the intersection of gender, voice, and state control. The text has resonated with many readers who view today’s mainstream media as undermining, dismissing, or altogether erasing women’s voices. Inspired by real-world censorship and backlash against outspoken women, such as online harassment or disinformation campaigns targeting female journalists, Vox dramatizes the consequences of losing the ability to participate in public discourse.

Feminist dystopian fiction can be understood as both cautionary and cathartic. These narratives warn against the dangers of complacency in the face of systemic oppression. However, they also provide opportunities for imaginative resistance. As Kelley Wezner asserts in her analysis of dystopian literature, these novels “serve as vehicles for cultural critique, encouraging readers to recognize the constructedness of current power relations and the possibilities for resistance” (Wezner, 2008). They also invite readers to pay more attention to the mechanisms by which societies normalize violence and marginalization.

Moreover, the rise of feminist dystopias coincides with a broader cultural demand for politically engaged, intersectional, and globally representative literature. Many of these works center on diverse perspectives, addressing issues of race, class, sexuality, and other axes of identity in ways that appeal to contemporary readers. For example, in The Power, the global scope of the narrative follows characters from Nigeria, Moldova, and the United Kingdom, highlighting how gendered power dynamics intersect with distinct geopolitical and cultural contexts. This demonstrates a shift in readership trends, as younger audiences appreciate stories that challenge and diversify the dominant narrative.

Feminist dystopian fiction is an inevitable response to the preeminent issues of our time. These stories challenge inequitable social orders, hold space for historically marginalized voices, and envision different ways the world could be. They help readers understand the dangers of losing rights and freedoms while showing that change is possible. In times of grave uncertainty, these novels force people to think, question, and yearn for something better.