Questionnaire Text
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5. Marital Status
Mark only one box
Single: one who has never contracted matrimony and does not live in a consensual union
Married: one who has contracted matrimony and lives in that estate
Widowed: one who has not contracted matrimony since the death of a spouse and who does not live in a consensual union
Divorced: one who definitively undid a marital bond through legal means
Consensual union: one who lives in a marital union without having contracted matrimony
Married Separated: one who contracted matrimony and lives apart from the spouse
[] 1 Single
[] 2 Married
[] 3 Widowed
[] 4 Divorced
[] 5 Consensual union
[] 6 Married separated
Questionnaire instructions
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Line No. 5.- Marital State
For this characteristic you should mark the box that corresponds to the definitions that appear in the form and which are commented on here.
You should always write down the current civil state; like for example: if a person has separated from their spouse and currently lives in "Free [consensual] Union" with another, you should classify them as "Free [consensual] Union" since that is the current state.
Single: is one who never has married, except those who live in "Free [consensual] Union".
Married: is one who is legally married and lives in this state.
Widow: is one who has not married again after the death of their spouse, nor lives in "Free Union" at the moment of the Census.
[p. 45]
If a person has married again or lives in "Free Union", you should indicate the current civil state.
Divorced: one who has broken their matrimonial ties in a definite form through legal means, and also has not married again or lives in "Free Union".
Consensual Union: It is said that a couple lies in "Free Union" when without any marital ties existing that bind them, the members constitute alone or with other family members, a well defined family. This is a delicate aspect and you should proceed with tact and very gently in the interview, avoiding discussions or expressions that could spoil the success of your job.
Married Separated: is one who has separated from their spouse and does not live in free union. The separation can be de facto or separation "de cuerpos" declared by competent authority. It should not be confused with divorce, which is a total and definitive separation.
Keep in mind that the previous concepts are mutually exclusive and that therefore, you should mark only one box for each person.
When it is possible, the enumerator should abstain from suggesting the response of the person, over all in the case of Divorced, Married Separated, and Free Union; so you will avoid an unfavorable atmosphere when the person is very sensitive in this sense. Some times the person does not give this information in a truthful form, principally in some of the cases cited before; so for example, they say that they are married and in reality they live in Free Union. In many of these cases, the enumerator will realize the falseness of the information in the course of the interview, but you should never insist in this matter; when this happens you should explain it in the space for "Observations", and write down there the information that you consider correct. You should be careful to do it later after you have finished the interview, to avoid displeasure or resentment of the person.