to find a better life and so that they would have better farming opportunities. They also moved to New France so they could have larger land holdings which eventually they would pass on to their children. For women, most of the adulthood was spent being a wife and raising children. Marriage was essential for the women of New France and widowers often remarried. Due to the significantly greater male population, women often had their choice of partner and arranged marriages were infrequent. Some women were paid by the King of France to boost the population. They were called Filles du Roi. The church played an important role in the life of a habitant; it was the parish that recorded all the births, marriages and deaths in the colony. These important events in the habitant life were considered religious traditions and marked by rituals. Nevertheless, parishes only developed in areas with a significant population. The habitants provided the local church and rectory, which was commonly used as a place of meeting and as a community hall, and emergency food stores were often kept in the churches attic. The habitants also viewed Sunday Mass not only as a time for worship but also as a time for communal gathering and socializing. See also Seigneurial system of New France Indentured servitude in British America Serfdom References Sources External links Government of Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization - The Habitant in New France French Canadian culture French-American culture in Missouri French-Canadian culture in the United States New France 17th century in Quebec Pre-Confederation Quebec people