The old-believers were one of the most peculiar and perhaps the most conservative part of the society in Russia. That's how their every-day life is described in the novel "In the Woods" by P.I.Mel'nikov-Pechersky: "If Aksinya Zaharovna would start to quarrel with her husband on the daily matters Potap Maksimovich should, perhaps, break her head-dress. But talking on spiritual matters or about the hermits in the woods - it's another case, supervised by wife, not husband. That's Aksinya's field; should he say abusive words she might even lash him with the rosary. That's the old custom. Schism is held up by women and in this case woman is a head, because somewhere is said: "A man can't pray for his wife but a woman can".