Interviewer instructions
Questions 25-44 are to be asked of persons who are 10 years of age and above.
Question 40
In this question, the current marital status is asked.
You should mark the 'Never Married' box for persons who reported themselves as not having been married. Persons who are currently 'Single' but whose marriages have been dissolved should not be marked in this category.
Marriages should include those which are either registered or accepted by social custom. Therefore persons in consensual and stable 'de facto' unions should be regarded as married.
A person who is presently married, that is whose marriage still exists is to be marked as 'Currently married'. If a person was previously widowed or divorced, but has since remarried, you are to classify him/her as 'Currently married'.
'Currently married' persons should also include those who are separated from their spouses temporarily. In cases of longer or more permanent separations, the person should be classified according to what he/she regards his/her status to be. If the separation is too long, however (e.g. more than 10 years) and there is no possibility of reconciliation, the person should be marked in the category 'Divorced/permanently separated'.
A person is classified as 'Divorced' if the marriage has been dissolved either legally or by social custom or by mutual consent.
