Literal question
17. If the respondent was born before April 1994 (15 years or older), [go to] Q 18; otherwise, ask the next [person]
[Questions 18-30 were asked of persons aged 15 years and over]
18. What is the current marital status of [the respondent]?
[] 1 Never married
[] 2 Married
[] 3 Widowed
[] 4 Divorced
[] 5 Separated
Interviewer instructions
Question 18: What is the current marital status of [the respondent]?
The current marital status (that is at the census time point) of a person can only be one of the following categories:
(1) Single, in other words, never married: A person is categorized "single" if he/she has never married or never lived with a person of the opposite sex as a married couple.
(2) Married: A person is categorized "married" if he/she is recognized by the marriage laws or customs of the locality as married or having lived with a person of the opposite sex as a married couple.
(3) Widowed: A person is categorized "widowed" if his/her wife/husband has died and he/she is currently not remarried.
(4) Divorced: A person is categorized "divorced" if he/she is recognized by the marriage laws of the country as divorced and is currently not remarried.
(5) Separated: A person is categorized "separated" if he/she is on record as having a wife/husband, but due to some reason is not currently living with his/her wife/husband as a married couple.
Note: There should be a clear difference between the "separated" and those who are living far from their wives/husbands because of, for example: going on fieldtrips, working far away home (even working abroad) for a long period of time, etc. These persons still belong to the category "married".
