25. Marital status

The question on marital status shall only be asked to men and women household residents age 10 or more.

For person younger than 10 years, leave columns 26, 27, 28, and 29 blank then skip to the person on the following line, if there is no other person, skip to question 30.

Marital status is defined as the existence or not of conjugal relations between two persons of the opposite sex. In light of existing laws and customs, one can distinguish:

Single: is considered single any person who has never been married;

Married: is married any person united by law, custom, or religion to another person of the opposite sex;

Monogamous marriage:

Polygamous marriage with 2, 3, 4, or more women:

Divorced: is divorced any person who has severed all ties [legal or customary] that linked them to their partner and who has not remarried; however, a man in polygamous marriage who divorces one of his spouses remains married.

Widower/widow: is a widower/widow any person whose partner has died and who has not remarried; however, a man in polygamous marriage whose wife dies remains married.

Separated: is separated a person who has been abandoned or is separated from their partner, legally or not, but whose divorce has not yet been pronounced; however, a man in polygamous marriage who is separated from one of his spouses remains married.

Free union: is considered living in a free union, any person living with another person of the opposite sex without having had a civil, customary, or religious marriage celebrated.

The modality codes of the variable marital status are:

Q: "Are you/is [the respondent] married?"