Definition
This variable represents the union status of a couple, as indicated by a woman. For women between the ages 14-45, this variable identifies whether she is currently married, cohabiting, is separated from her spouse or partner, or has never formed a union. For women ages 46 and older, this variable represents their union status at age 45.
The variable MARST provides data on formal marital status for men and women at the time of the 1980 census. Most consensual unions involve the household head and can be inferred in 1980 based on the presence of a "spouse/partner" in the harmonized RELATE variable.