Personal Information

[7] What is the marital status of [the respondent]?

Individual information
After collecting the introductory and household information of data sheet 1, there are questions for individual information collection on the right side of the page. To write individual information, a row has been allocated for each member of the family. Sequence and rules for information collection have been put accordingly. In line with this, ask the question and fill the information. The response of each individual question should be written in the respective column.

Column 7: what is the marital status of [the respondent]?
[Ask the person aged 10 years and above only]

At the time of enumeration of the question related to marital status of this column, ask the persons only 10 years and above. Circle the appropriate reference number of above 7 status to indicate a person's marital status.

Marriage refers to the male and female couple living together as husband and wife in a time period in their life through mutual understanding or social and religious custom or legal process. At the time of enumeration, if any person (male or female) has been living together as husband and wife (in same place or separate), such male and female are considered as married.

Marital status refers to the marriage status of a person aged 10 years and above among the reference numbers from 1-7 above, at the time of enumeration. In the present society, marital status has been stated in the reference from 1-7 above for the purpose of legal regulation and enumeration. Unmarried status of the reference 1 refers to the status that the person has not married yet in his or her life. Rest of the references from 2-7 are the status that a person has married once in his or her life and might have undergone with other status as well. These statuses has been described as follows:

1. Unmarried - If any male or female in their life has not lived together in a couple as husband and wife at any time till date or has never married in their life, this should be understood as unmarried. If any male or female is found with this status or unmarried, circle the reference number 1.

2. Single marriage - If any male or female has married only once in their life and the male is living with only one wife or the female is living with only one husband, this is single marriage status. If this status is found at the time of remuneration, circle the reference number 2.

[p. 50]

But if the male or female married earlier has left a previous husband or wife or any one of them died and married again with another male or female and now living with that single husband or wife, this is termed as remarriage. For the male or female with remarriage status, circle the reference number 4, but don not circle the reference number 2.

Note: Ask the person with single husband or wife that and be clear whether it is their first marriage or married again after the death of previous husband or wife or divorce with previous husband or wife and then only circle the reference 2 if it is first marriage and circle 4 if it is remarriage.

3. Multiple marriage: During the enumeration time, if a male has been living with more than one wife or a female has been living more than one husband at a place or separately place with mutual consent, this should be considered as multiple marriage. Both husband and wife might have such marital status. In other words, if any male or female has more than one wife or husband at the time of enumeration, this is the status of multiple marriages. Circle the reference number 3 to indicate the multiple marriage of enumerated male or female.

NB:
a. Even though a person under enumeration had a multiple marriage status at any time before the enumeration, but now he or she has a single wife or husband, consider this as single marriage and circle the reference 2. But if any male or female has married again after the death or divorce of their previous wife or husband, consider this as remarriage and circle the reference 4, do not circle the reference 3.

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b. If the male or female, who was already married and living with their previous wife or husband, again marry to another person, this is considered multiple marriage. In such status, circle the reference 3 to indicate the multiple marriage.

c. During the enumeration, the status of a male having more than one wife would be of multiple marriage status. But the status of each wife of such person, if they do not have another husband and it is their first marriage, would be single marriage status.

d. If the previous husband is dead or divorced or left for any reason and married to the present husband, this would be the remarriage status.

Ask the marital status of each male or female in detail and only being clear, circle the appropriate reference number.

4. Remarriage - If any male or female had married once already and left the previous wife or husband for any reason (e.g. death, divorce), and has married again and living with single husband or wife, then it is remarriage status. If there is remarriage status of any male or female, circle the reference 4 to indicate it.

[p. 51]

5. Widow/widower - If a woman who has married once before in her life and her husband was deceased already before the enumeration period, and she has not married again until date, then she is widow. Similarly, if a man has not married again until date after the death of his wife, then he is widower. Whether any male or female married once or remarried again before the enumeration time, but after the death of her or his last wife or husband if the person is not remarried again, the he/she still in the position of widower or widow. If any male or female is in widow or widower status at the time of enumeration, circle the reference 5.

But if any widower or widow has married again before the enumeration period and they are living together as husband and wife, then such status is remarried status. Hence, in the remarried status, circle the reference 4.

6. Divorced - At the time of enumeration, it is found that if a husband and wife got separated or living apart legally or according to social custom due to some differences or unable to continue their life together with ill feeling, this status should be considered divorced. Whatever was their status before the enumeration, but at the enumeration time if they are living separately by getting divorced legally or as per the social custom, their marital status should be considered as divorced. If such male or female is found in divorced status at the time of enumeration, circle the reference 6.

7. Separated - If any married couple (husband and wife) has decided to live separately due to some conflict or differences because they could not live together further, then their marital status should be considered as separated.

Until a husband and wife do not get divorced legally or socially and they are living separately due to some ill feeling, their marital status should be considered as separated for the purpose of the enumeration. If any male or female is in separated status at the time of enumeration, circle the reference 7.