5. Marital status
For those younger than 13, mark an "X" in the box "single."
[] 1 Single
[] 2 Married
[] 3 Consensual union
[] 4 Widowed
[] 5 Divorced
[] 9 Unknown
Question 5: marital status
1. How to ask the question:
Ask, "Are you single, married, cohabiting, widowed, or divorced?"
The following definitions will help you categorize each person correctly according to his or her marital status:
[p. 66]
a. Single: this person has never been married and is not cohabiting.
b. Married: this person is married, even if he or she is separated (but not divorced) on the census date.
c. Cohabiting: this person (single, divorced or widowed) is living in a consensual relationship with another person and has established a family with that person, without any legal matrimonial ties.
d. Widowed: this person was married and whose spouse died. The person has not remarried and is not cohabiting.
e. Divorced: this is a person whose marriage was legally dissolved by a qualified authority. The person has not remarried and is not cohabiting.
It is not necessary to ask this question of persons younger than 13; simply mark an "X" in the box for single.
2. How to record the answer:
The different categories are mutually exclusive, so you should mark an "X" in only one box according to the marital status of the enumerated person.
3. Example:
[This box contains question 5 of the section VI, "people in the census household."]