What were some of the challenges that the King`s daughters came across?
The lifestyle of les filles du roi wasn't that easy, most of the women came across many challenges. When the Filles du Roi first arrived in New France they had to adapt to the colony. Since everywhere they walked, there were several men, they were being watched everywhere they went. The Filles du Roi had to change their clothes so they were more durable and warmer because they were not used to the cold winters. Many of the men in New France thought they were witty. The Filles du Roi were judged for how they dressed and that they powdered their hair everyday. In addition, men from the colony thought it was bad that they came over and got married while barely knowing the man. The Filles du Roi sometimes found it hard because their husband basically had complete control over them, this was a major challenge that many of the women experienced. She must obey every word he said, by law. They were not allowed to have many jobs besides being on the farm and being in their house the entire day. Their job was to be in charge of the household meaning that the women received the lack of freedom. Everyone knew that if the male did not have the female, he would go hungry. The Jesuits tried to promote “humiliating rebellious wives”. If her husband was violent to her, the law was on his side. They often said “he did what he had to do”. Their job was to grow the population and that is what they did. If their husband died they were expected to re-marry and if she was young enough have more children. A lot of the time the wife had to run the family business or farm because their husband was away for a long period of time in war or trading. It was all about growing the population.
What type of housing did these women live in?
Les filles du roi lived in huts or a log cabin like the ones in the background of this picture. These housings were build by the wife and the husband before the kids were born.