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== Origins ==
[[File:Graphique sur la répartition des "Filles du Roi" selon l'âge (vers 1663-1673).gif|thumb|The great majority of the ''filles'' were young women aged between 16 and 25]]
At its start, New France was a man's world: the province of soldiers, fur trappers, and priests, it had little to offer women. In time, the colony became more agricultural, which allowed for more women, but as late as the mid-17th century, there was a severe imbalance between single men and women in New France. The small number of female immigrants had to pay their own passage, and few single women wanted to leave their familiar places to move and settle in the harsh climate and conditions of New France. The growth of population in the competing English colonies awakened concern among some officials about their ability to maintain their claim in the New World.{{citation needed|date = July 2014}}
To increase population and the number of families, the [[Intendant of New France]], [[Jean Talon]], proposed that the king sponsor passage of at least 500 women. The king agreed, and eventually nearly twice the number were recruited. They were predominately between the ages of 12 and 25, and many had to supply a letter of reference from their parish priest before they would be chosen for emigration to New France.
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