Questionnaire Text

Questionnaire form view entire document:  text  image
For those individuals 10 years of age and older
[Applies to questions 14 - 18]

15. Profession, position or occupation.

The profession, position or occupation performing or performed this year.
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Questionnaire instructions view entire document:  text  image
64. The questions 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 are presented to all persons 10 years of age or older. A dash [-] is traced in the spaces 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 for those younger than 10 years of age.

It may be difficult to obtain accurate answers due to the nature of this information. Great care should be taken to ensure that the annotation reflects the desired information.

Reference period

65. The information recorded in the spaces mentioned above (14, 15, 16, 17, and 18) refers to the following period of time: from January 1st to August 7th, 1960. In other words, the time that has passed since the beginning of the year to the date of the census. Whenever the "reference period" is mentioned, it is to be interpreted as the period of time between the two dates mentioned above.

Total time worked

Profession, trade, or occupation

70. Question 15. The profession, trade, occupation, or type of employment carried out during the "reference period" by persons who fall into one of the following categories is recorded:

a) Carry out a paid or unpaid occupation at the time of the census. (Including those who have a secure occupation but who are not working at the time of the census because of a temporary circumstance: e.g. illness, vacation, leave, etc.)

Note: If the person is carrying out two occupations simultaneously at the time of the census: The occupation that the person considers to be the most important or that which earns more income is recorded.

b) Not working at the time of the census but did work during the "reference period", or before, and has looked or is looking for work. (The last occupation is recorded)
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c) Looking for employment for the first time. (The occupation or trade in which the person desires to work, according to preparation and ability, is recorded).
Other classifications:

71. Line 15 is used to make other annotations that are defined and classified below. These annotations correspond to those who have not carried out any occupation, paid or un-paid, during the "reference period" and who have not looked for and are not looking for work. In parenthesis, under the title of each classification, the corresponding annotation from line 14 is indicated.

Classification: None (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: All persons 10-65 years of age who do not practice and have not practiced an occupation during the "reference period". They have not looked for and are not looking for work and do not fall into any of the following categories:

Classification: Minor (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Children 9 years of age or younger who do not attend school.

Classification: Student (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Those whose only and exclusive activity is that of a student in any educational institution

Classification: Domestic duties (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Housewives and their female relatives or guests who do not and have not worked in a paid or un-paid occupation during the "reference period"; e.g. government office, industry, business, etc., or helping her husband or relative in a store, office, etc., or producing, for profit, fabric, embroideries, candy, fried foods in the home.

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Classification: Rentier (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Those who receive income from interest, rent, royalties, and who live exclusively from this income.

Classification: Retired or pensioner (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Those who have stopped participating in any economic activity and who live exclusively from a pension or retirement.

Classification: Elderly (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Those who are 65 years of age and older and who are unqualified for work and who do not receive interest, retirement, or pension income.

Classification: Disabled (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Those of any age who, because of a physical or mental condition are unqualified to work.

Classification: Prisoner, patient, hospitalized, etc. (Annotation in line 14: - )
Definition: Those who, at the time of the census, live in penal, religious, hospital, mental, charity, etc. institutions. The term that corresponds to each case is recorded: "prisoner", "religious", "inmate", "hospitalized" (those patients in a leprosy clinic, psychiatric clinic, tuberculosis hospital, etc.)

Important: A dash (-) is recorded for questions 16, 17, and 18 for those persons classified in any of the above categories.

How to investigate occupation:

72. In order to record the profession, trade, occupation, or type of work, all of the questions deemed necessary should be asked so that the person?s type of work can be established in a precise manner. A vague answer to this question should not be accepted.

Through adequate questions about the professional training and the real nature of the work, correct information will be collected. E.g. when a very young person claims to be working in a specialized trade (mechanic, electrician, etc.), it is probable that he is just an "apprentice" or "assistant" in this occupation; or when a person who has only completed primary or secondary school claims to be an engineer, chemist, agronomist, etc. when these professions would indicate that the person has completed specialized or university studies. The enumerator should try to discover the truth of such declarations.

Clarifications

a) One who works in public administration is commonly called a "public employee". There is no reason to use this term in the annotation on the census form since every employee of the public administration has an official title. This title should be clearly indicated (typist, file clerk, translator, justice of the peace, accountant, steward, messenger, nurse, paymaster, engineer, doctor, laboratory technician, etc.). Generally, the best description of the occupation is the official title of employment. When this method does not result in a specific answer, all necessary additional questions should be made in order to obtain an appropriate answer.
b) The word "farmer" should not be used to describe every person who works on a farm. This term is used for the owner of the farm or the person who
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rents the farm and whose only activity, or at least the principal activity, is the cultivation of the earth. For workers in farming operations, the activity is specified: e.g. farm administrator, overseer, blacksmith, cane cutter, coffee harvester. When no specific title is available, the term "agricultural worker" is used for those who work for a daily wage on a farm, whether it be weeding, cutting trees, caring for sown fields (sembradíos), or caring for planted fields, etc. The terms "day laborer" (jornalero) and "peon" (peón) are not used.
c) If the activity carried out by a professional; whether a medical doctor, lawyer, engineer, dentist, agronomist, or pharmacist, does not correspond to the profession, the occupation actually practiced is recorded, even if different from the person?s specialization. If, for example, an engineer or a lawyer is working as a professor, bank manager, or farm administrator, etc., the annotation should be "professor", "bank manager", or "farm administrator".
d) For those serving in the military, police, navy, or other similar institution, the rank held is recorded (e.g. Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, etc.). For a soldier, police officer, or seaman without rank, the word "ordinary" (raso) is recorded. The name of the institution is not recorded with the rank of Colonel, Major, Captain, etc. This information will fall under the next question, place of work.