The depiction of the women in the first season is intentional!

The women of the group are forced into submissive roles where characters like the self important Shane, the nazi Merle and Carol's abusive husband Ed hold the power roles in the groups obviously very patriarchal social system.

The female characters soon become the most bad ass motherfuckers of the show, you'll see!

When the show was new, many people wondered if the gender roles in the show are just bad writing and if this was gonna be one of those shows where all females would be unimportant side-characters. Well, trust me, that was not the case. The Walking Dead depicts social relations inherited from the old world quickly whithering away.

Trust me, you're in for a good ride with a large dose of sweet revenge and some of the best female leads in modern TV! :)