Description

STEPMOM indicates whether a person's mother, as identified by MOMLOC, was most probably not the person's biological mother. Non-zero values of STEPMOM explain why it is probable that the person's mother was a step- or adopted mother. A value of 0 indicates no likely stepmother because (1) the mother identified in MOMLOC was probably the biological mother or (2) there is no mother of this person present in the household.

The codes for STEPMOM are as follows:

0 = Biological mother or no mother of this person present in household.
1 = Mother has no children born or surviving.
2 = Child reports mother is deceased.
3 = Explicitly identified relationship (stepchild, adopted child, child of unmarried partner, stepchild/child-in-law).
4 = Mother reports no children in the home.
5 = Age difference between mother and child was less than 12 or greater than 54 years.
6 = Child exceeds known fertility of mother.

In cases where more than one criterion for a likely stepmother is met, STEPMOM will take the value of the criterion with the lowest code. See PARRULE for a description of the linking process.

Users should note that there are many stepmothers and adopted mothers in the population that cannot be identified with information available in the censuses. Therefore, STEPMOM will always under-represent their actual number in the population.

Comparability — General

Rules 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 apply only in samples with the necessary variable detail. Rule 3 applies only for the children of the head and/or spouse.

Among samples in which STEPMOM is available, stepchildren are separately identified in the following countries and years:

Botswana 2001 and 2011
Brazil 1991 and 2010
Cambodia 2004 and 2013
Cameroon 2005
Chile 2002
Cuba 2002 and 2012
Denmark 1845, 1880, and 1885
Dominican Republic 2002 and 2010
Ethiopia 1984 and 1994
Ghana 2010
Guatemala 2002
Guinea 2014
Indonesia 1976, 1995, and 2010
Ireland 2006 and 2011
Italy 2001 and 2011
Jamaica 2001
Mexico 1990 and 2020 censuses and 2005-2020 labor force surveys
Mozambique 2007
Nicaragua 2005
Nigeria all years
Papua New Guinea 2000 (includes adopted children)
Paraguay 2002
Philippines all years
Portugal 1991-2011
Puerto Rico 1990, 2000, and 2010-2020
Sierra Leone 2015
South Africa 2001-2016
Thailand 1970 (combined with adopted children), 1980, and 1990
Trinidad and Tobago 2011
Uganda 2002 and 2014
United States 1990, 2000, and 2010-2020
Uruguay 1996-2011
Zambia all years

In Haiti 1982 and 2003, stepchildren/children-in-law are combined into a joint category. Persons in this category who link to the head are flagged as stepchildren.

Among samples in which STEPMOM is available, adopted children are separately identified in the following countries and years (foster children may sometimes be included; see RELATE for more details):

Benin 2013
Cambodia 2004 and 2013
Fiji 1976, 2007, and 2014 (combined with stepchildren)
Ghana 2010
Mexico 1990 and 2020 censuses and 2005-2020 labor force surveys
Myanmar 2014
Nigeria 2010
Papua New Guinea 1980 and 1990
Puerto Rico 2000 and 2010-2020
South Africa 2001-2016
Thailand 1980 and 1990
Trinidad and Tobago 2011
United States 2000 and 2010-2020

Among samples in which STEPMOM is available, unmarried partners are identified in the following countries and years:

Austria 1971-2001
Chile 1970-2002
Denmark 1845, 1880, and 1885
France 1962, 1968, and 1975
Greece 2001
Guatemala 1964
Hungary 1970 and 1990-2011
Ireland 1991-2011
Italy 2001 and 2011 census and 2011-2020 labor force surveys
Jamaica 2001
Mexico 2020 census and 2005-2020 labor force surveys
Poland 2002
Portugal 2011
Puerto Rico 1990-2020
Romania 2002
Slovenia 2002
Spain 2001
Trinidad and Tobago 2011
United Kingdom 1991
United States 1990-2020

Children of the head's unmarried partner are explicitly identified only in the United Kingdom, but other relatives and non-relatives are allowed to point to unmarried partners in the remaining samples.

No constructed family interrelationship variables are available for the individual-level samples that do not contain entire households of persons.

Universe

Availability

• Argentina: 1970, 1980, 1991, 2001
• Armenia: 2001, 2011
• Austria: 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001
• Bangladesh: 1991, 2001, 2011
• Belarus: 1999, 2009
• Benin: 1979, 1992, 2002, 2013
• Bolivia: 1976, 1992, 2001, 2012
• Botswana: 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011
• Brazil: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1991, 2000, 2010
• Burkina Faso: 1996, 2006
• Cambodia: 1998, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2019
• Cameroon: 1976, 1987, 2005
• Canada: 2011
• Chile: 1970, 1982, 1992, 2002
• China: 1982, 1990, 2000
• Colombia: 1973, 1985, 1993, 2005
• Costa Rica: 1973, 1984, 2000, 2011
• Cuba: 2002, 2012
• Côte d'Ivoire: 1988, 1998
• Denmark: 1845, 1880, 1885
• Dominican Republic: 1981, 2002, 2010
• Ecuador: 1974, 1982, 1990, 2001, 2010
• Egypt: 1986, 1996, 2006
• El Salvador: 1992, 2007
• Ethiopia: 1984, 1994, 2007
• Fiji: 1976, 1986, 1996, 2007, 2014
• France: 1962, 1968, 1975, 1982, 1990, 1999, 2006, 2011
• Ghana: 2000, 2010
• Greece: 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001
• Guatemala: 1964, 1973, 1981, 1994, 2002
• Guinea: 1983, 1996, 2014
• Haiti: 1971, 1982, 2003
• Honduras: 1974, 1988, 2001
• Hungary: 1970, 1980, 1990, 2001, 2011
• India: 1983, 1987, 1993, 1999, 2004, 2009
• Indonesia: 1971, 1976, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010
• Iran: 2006, 2011
• Iraq: 1997
• Ireland: 1901, 1911, 1971, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2016
• Israel: 1972, 1983, 1995
• Italy: 2001, 2011, 2011Q1, 2012Q1, 2013Q1, 2014Q1, 2015Q1, 2016Q1, 2017Q1, 2018Q1, 2019Q1, 2020Q1
• Jamaica: 1982, 1991, 2001
• Jordan: 2004
• Kenya: 1969, 1989, 1999, 2009
• Kyrgyzstan: 1999, 2009
• Laos: 1995, 2005, 2015
• Lesotho: 1996, 2006
• Liberia: 2008
• Malawi: 1987, 1998, 2008
• Malaysia: 1970, 1980, 1991, 2000
• Mali: 1987, 1998, 2009
• Mauritius: 1990, 2000, 2011
• Mexico: 1970, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005Q1, 2005Q2, 2005Q3, 2005Q4, 2006Q1, 2006Q2, 2006Q3, 2006Q4, 2007Q1, 2007Q2, 2007Q3, 2007Q4, 2008Q1, 2008Q2, 2008Q3, 2008Q4, 2009Q1, 2009Q2, 2009Q3, 2009Q4, 2010, 2010Q1, 2010Q2, 2010Q3, 2010Q4, 2011Q1, 2011Q2, 2011Q3, 2011Q4, 2012Q1, 2012Q2, 2012Q3, 2012Q4, 2013Q1, 2013Q2, 2013Q3, 2013Q4, 2014Q1, 2014Q2, 2014Q3, 2014Q4, 2015, 2015Q1, 2015Q2, 2015Q3, 2015Q4, 2016Q1, 2016Q2, 2016Q3, 2016Q4, 2017Q1, 2017Q2, 2017Q3, 2017Q4, 2018Q1, 2018Q2, 2018Q3, 2018Q4, 2019Q1, 2019Q2, 2019Q3, 2019Q4, 2020, 2020Q1, 2020Q3
• Mongolia: 1989, 2000
• Morocco: 1982, 1994, 2004, 2014
• Mozambique: 1997, 2007
• Myanmar: 2014
• Nepal: 2001, 2011
• Nicaragua: 1971, 1995, 2005
• Nigeria: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Pakistan: 1973, 1998
• Palestine: 1997, 2007, 2017
• Panama: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010
• Papua New Guinea: 1980, 1990, 2000
• Paraguay: 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002
• Peru: 1993, 2007, 2017
• Philippines: 1990, 1995, 2000, 2010
• Poland: 1978, 2002
• Portugal: 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011
• Puerto Rico: 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020
• Romania: 1977, 1992, 2002, 2011
• Russia: 2002, 2010
• Rwanda: 1991, 2002, 2012
• Saint Lucia: 1980, 1991
• Senegal: 1988, 2002, 2013
• Sierra Leone: 2004, 2015
• Slovenia: 2002
• South Africa: 1996, 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016
• South Sudan: 2008
• Spain: 1991, 2001, 2005Q1, 2005Q2, 2005Q3, 2005Q4, 2006Q1, 2006Q2, 2006Q3, 2006Q4, 2007Q1, 2007Q2, 2007Q3, 2007Q4, 2008Q1, 2008Q2, 2008Q3, 2008Q4, 2009Q1, 2009Q2, 2009Q3, 2009Q4, 2010Q1, 2010Q2, 2010Q3, 2010Q4, 2011Q1, 2011Q2, 2011Q3, 2011Q4, 2012Q1, 2012Q2, 2012Q3, 2012Q4, 2013Q1, 2013Q2, 2013Q3, 2013Q4, 2014Q1, 2014Q2, 2014Q3, 2014Q4, 2015Q1, 2015Q2, 2015Q3, 2015Q4, 2016Q1, 2016Q2, 2016Q3, 2016Q4, 2017Q1, 2017Q2, 2017Q3, 2017Q4, 2018Q1, 2018Q2, 2018Q3, 2018Q4, 2019Q1, 2019Q2, 2019Q3, 2019Q4, 2020Q1, 2020Q2, 2020Q3, 2020Q4
• Sudan: 2008
• Suriname: 2012
• Switzerland: 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000
• Tanzania: 1988, 2002, 2012
• Thailand: 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000
• Togo: 1960, 1970, 2010
• Trinidad and Tobago: 1970, 1980, 2000, 2011
• Turkey: 1985, 1990, 2000
• Uganda: 1991, 2002, 2014
• United Kingdom: 1991
• United States: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020
• Uruguay: 1963, 1975, 1985, 1996, 2006, 2011
• Venezuela: 1971, 1981, 1990, 2001
• Vietnam: 1989, 1999, 2009, 2019
• Zambia: 1990, 2000, 2010
• Zimbabwe: 2012