The “plantocracy” was the social class made up of plantation owners, many of whom spent much or all of their time away from the plantations. French colonial administrators formed a second group, while blancs manants, or poor whites, made up a third. Relatively few white women lived in the colony, especially in the lower ranks. In addition to the white population, Saint-Domingue had approximately 28,000 gens de couleur (French for "people of color") or affranchis ("freedmen"); most were of mixed African and European descent, but some were black. A small but influential percentage of the freedmen owned property and slaves. Class differences followed skin color, with darker people concentrated in the lower classes. The colonial militia strengthened the authoritarian system that kept power in the hands of the wealthy white elite.