The residents of cities were divided into three groups according to their wealth, work and where they lived, known as the mà major (major force), the mà mitjana (middle force) and the mà menor (lesser force). The mà major consisted of the dignitaries or urban oligarchy who controlled the municipal government. The mà mitjana was made up of merchants and artists, or those working in the professions. The mà menor consisted of craftsmen who were organised into guilds. The large number of hired hands and unskilled labourers, as well as the marginalised and women, were outside this urban structure and excluded from the municipal government.