Questionnaire Text

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[6] Families
Families are formed at the turn of the year from persons living in the same dwelling according to the population information system of the Population Register Centre.

Child
In the family statistics children comprise the following persons living with their parents:

-- biological children,
-- adopted children,
-- biological children and adopted children of one of the spouses.

Foster children and children in the care of the family are not classified as children.
The definition of child has changed since 1990. A child is now defined as a person who lives with his or her parents irrespective of his or her marital status, unless the person has a spouse or children who live in the same household-dwelling unit. In 1990 only unmarried persons were counted as children. So while in 1990 widowed or divorced persons living with their parents were classified as not belonging to families, since 1992 they have been regarded as members of the family.

Cohabiting couple
A cohabiting couple is defined as two spouseless adults of different sex aged 18 and over and occupying the same dwelling on a permanent basis, provided their age difference is less than 16 years and they are not siblings. In case the couple has a common child these specifications do not apply. Same-sex persons living together are not inferred as cohabiting couples. Only registered partnerships are recorded in the statistics.

Family status
Family members are grouped by family status as follows:

-- spouse, no children
-- spouse with children
-- cohabiting partner, no children
-- cohabiting partner with children
-- partner in a registered partnership, no children
-- partner in a registered partnership with children
-- father/mother without spouse
-- child.

In the family statistics children comprise all persons, regardless of age, who live with their parents, or the spouse's biological or adopted children, but not foster children or children in the care of the family.