VII. People in the census household
Only for women 15 years of age and older
[Questions 21 - 24 were asked of women age 15+ old]
22. Total children surviving
How many of these are currently alive?
[] 00 None
[] [If any write the total number]
_ _ Total
_ _ Males
_ _ Females
[] 99 Unknown
E. Fifth block: fertility and mortality characteristics (for all women 15 years of age and older)
Questions 21-24 are designed to obtain information to allow estimations of levels and trends in fertility, mortality, and population growth.
The adequate investigation of this question requires that the enumerator be delicate and extremely diligent in the request for information. Questions 21-24 should be presented to all women 15 years of age and older, irrespective of their marital status. If possible, these questions should be presented directly to each woman. Women sometimes forget to declare children born alive who have passed away, children who are alive but living in another place of residence, and also newborns. This should be kept in mind to avoid omissions.
It has been verified that certain enumerators suppose that unmarried women do not have children and therefore do not present the pertinent questions to them. This is inadequate and leads to the collection of poor quality data.
Question 22: total number of surviving children
This question is presented to all women 15 years of age and older, irrespective of their marital status.
1. How to formulate the question
How many of your children are currently alive?
The following definition should be kept in mind:
Children currently alive:
All children that are alive at the time of the Census, irrespective of whether they:
a) Live with the mother
b) Reside in a geographical location different from that of enumeration of the mother, or live abroad.
2. How to record the data
If a mother does not have any surviving children, the number "00. none" is marked.
For mothers who have one or more surviving children, the answer is recorded in the spaces provided: "total," "males", "females."
If the informant does not know if the enumerated woman has surviving children, the number "99. unknown" is marked.
[p. 90]
3. Example:
[These instructions refer to a graphic of question 22 of the census form]