In "Consider Her Ways", a 1956 short story by British science writer John Wyndham, the consciousness of a 20th century woman is hurled forward in time to occupy the body of a woman of the 22nd century. In Wyndham's strange future, the male half of the species is dead, and women have been divided into castes. One caste, the Workers, is engineered to substantially increased size and strength. From the story:
We continued this uneventful progress at a modest pace for some twenty minutes, until we came to a stretch where the road was under repair. The car slowed, and the workers moved to one side, out of our way. As we crawled forward over the broken surface I was able to get a good look at them. They were all women or girls dressed in denimlike trousers, sleeveless singlets, and working boots. All had their hair cut quite short, and a few wore hats. They were tall and broad-shouldered, bronzed and healthy-looking. The biceps of their arms were like a man's, and the shafts of their picks and shovels rested in the hard, strong hands of manual toilers.
The Workers are the least-discussed type in the story, but somehow have stuck in my mind the most. The entire story is hosted online at Sci-Fi.com. It's great fun.
