Sex of reference person of census family

Status: This standard was replaced by the 'Sex of reference person of lone-parent family' as of November 16, 2015.

Definition

Sex of reference person refers to the sex of the family reference person. The family reference person is determined through procedures specific to each survey. Options include the older spouse or partner, the first spouse or partner listed, the major income earner or the parent in a lone-parent family.

Census family refers to a married couple and the children, if any, of either or both spouses; a couple living common law and the children, if any, of either or both partners; or, a lone parent of any marital status with at least one child living in the same dwelling and that child or those children. All members of a particular census family live in the same dwelling. A couple may be of opposite or same sex. Children may be children by birth, marriage or adoption regardless of their age or marital status as long as they live in the dwelling and do not have their own spouse or child living in the dwelling. Grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present also constitute a census family.

Note: When information displays, such as tables, combine information on census families and persons who are not living in census families, the population is called: Census families and persons not in census families.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

Parts of this standard are compatible with the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations' Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 2, 2007. The UN recommendations include a classification of nuclear households (those consisting entirely of a single family nucleus) which includes the distinction between lone-parent families containing a father with child(ren) and lone-parent families containing a mother with child(ren). This distinction is a major part of this standard.

This standard is also compatible with the Conference of European Statisticians Recommendations for the 2010 Censuses of Population and Housing, 2006 which recommended classification distinctions similar to those in the UN recommendations.

Classifications

Additional information

See:

Relation to previous version

  • Sex of reference person of census family October 22, 2007 to November 15, 2015

    'Sex of reference person of census family' is incorporated within the classifications of two previous standards, 'Census family marital structure' and 'Census family parental structure'. The current standards take a more simplified approach, presenting each classification dimension as a separate concept. This approach provides greater conceptual and definitional clarity while simultaneously allowing users more flexibility in constructing whatever more complex, multidimensional classifications meet their needs for data presentation.

  • Census family parental structure July 15, 1998 to October 21, 2007

    This standard was replaced by the 'Sex of reference person of census family' as of October 22, 2007.

  • Census family marital structure July 15, 1998 to October 21, 2007

    This standard was replaced by the 'Sex of reference person of census family' as of October 22, 2007.

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