RELATE Description

Beginning with the 1970 round of censuses, most countries have generally defined a household as one or more persons who live together and share meals. Most countries define household composition based on habitual residence, but a few use residence on census night as the standard (e.g., Kenya 1989 and 1999, Colombia 1964).

RELATE describes the relationship of the individual to the head of household (sometimes called the householder or reference person). The definition of "head" differs. In some cases the selection of the household head is left to the respondent and is essentially culturally determined; in other cases a set of rules specify who should be identified as the head.

There are five general categories for the first digit of RELATE. The first four are for the head or relatives of the head, and the fifth is for non-relatives of the head. Where no distinction is made between "other relatives" and "non-relatives" (as in Vietnam 1999), we introduce a sixth category to emphasize this incompatibility. The general categories are largely comparable across samples. There are some discrepancies, however, and the specific subcategories within each general code vary considerably.

All French samples, Colombia 1964, and Mexico 1960 are samples of individuals, not households. Although relationship to head is known, only one person per household record is included in the sample. These samples are therefore not suitable for studying household and family composition and living arrangements.

The formal definition of household varied greatly over time, from census family (1964) to private household (1973, 1993) to dwelling (1985). Yet in practice, all the censuses share a common notion of persons eating, sleeping, or living together. Regardless of the definition of household used, relationship categories were those commonly recognized, usually consisting of a single word that was not explicitly defined on the questionnaire. The number of categories does not vary greatly, although over time several were added to further distinguish persons related to the household head by blood or marriage. The category "lodger" exists in 1964 and 1973, but it was dropped thereafter. In 1964 all relatives except spouses and children were grouped together as "other relatives." The 1973 census added two new categories for relatives that persisted in subsequent censuses: "parent/parent-in-law" and "grandchild." The 1985 census added a category for "child-in-law."

Head of Household: The head of household is generally described in the instructions as the person "recognized as such" by the household members on the basis of "authority, age, or economic role." The 1964 census supplied a number of rules concerning who should be identified as head, while other years leave this to the discretion of the respondent. The 1985 census noted that the head could be either a man or a woman.

The definition of household and the relationships identified in the French censuses do not vary greatly over time. Grandchildren are combined with children in 1962 and 1975, and they cannot be identified at all in the 1968 sample. (They are apparently in "other relatives, n.e.c."). Spouses and unmarried partners are identified separately for 1962-1975, but are combined in 1982 and 1990.

The general categories are fully comparable with an important exception concerning "child." The child category in 1962 and 1975 differs from all other samples in the database because it also includes grandchildren. The problem is less severe than it might seem because less than 1 percent of children in 1982 and 1990 were grandchildren.

Head of household: Relationships were expressed relative to the "head of household" for 1962-1975, and relative to the "person on the first line" for 1982-1990. There were no explicit restrictions concerning who could be designated household head, but a number of rules dictated who could be the person on the first line.

Child: The general category "child" in 1962 and 1975 is not compatible with other samples because it includes grandchildren. We include them with the general category, because 99 percent of such persons are, in fact, children rather than grandchildren. Users can in many cases distinguish between the two groups, but we have chosen not to make such inferences at this point.

The household, defined as a person or group of persons who live and eat together, is the fundamental enumeration unit in Kenyan censuses. To avoid confusion, the enumerator's instructions distinguish the household from homesteads, structures, and dwelling units. In 1999 the instructions noted that members of a household might reside in one or more dwelling units.

Spouse: 10 percent of married Kenyans were in polygamous unions. In such cases, there can be more than one female spouse for a given male. The censuses specified that if the wives in a polygamous marriage maintained separate households, the husband should be recorded in the household in which he spent census night.

Child: The general category "child" in Kenya differs from other countries. In the Kenyan census, "child" refers only to biological children of the head. Step or adopted children are coded as "other relatives" or "non-relatives" at the respondent's discretion.

The definition of household, its composition, and the major categories of relationship are comparable across census years, but there is more detail available in 1990 and 2000. The household consists of those who habitually reside together, whether present or absent at the time of enumeration. Basic relationship terms, such as head, spouse, and child, are those commonly understood and often remain undefined on the census forms. Beginning in 1970 the basic terms were supplied on the census form, to be filled in as appropriate. If a respondent named any other relationship, the enumerator wrote in the term, which was coded at the data processing stage.

The general code is comparable across all years. Group quarters is a primary distinction in the relationship variable for the U.S. samples, and the definition of group quarters is not consistent across years (see GQ).

Head/householder: The wording of the question changed in 1980 and 1990 from "relationship to head" to "relationship to householder." Prior to 1970, enumerators were instructed to record the male as the head of household for all married couples, regardless of the couple's designation of a head. The term "householder" was introduced in 1980 and allowed any adult in the family to be the reference person.

Partner/friend: This category changes considerably in meaning across census years. In 1960 and 1970, the "partner/friend" category is a residual for all non-relatives in the household who are not employees or lodgers. In 1980, "partner/roommate" refers to a non-relative who lives with the householder and shares expenses. In 1990, this category is split into "housemate or roommate" and "unmarried partner" which is supposed to distinguish those with a "close personal relationship" with the householder.

Other non-relatives: In 1990 this category includes employees in households, but for 1980 employees are classified elsewhere. The 1960 and 1970 censuses classified any non-relative other than lodgers or employees in the "partner/friend" category.

Other non-inmates: The "other non-inmate" category has subtly different definitions. 1990 has the broadest definition; including people enumerated in military installations, college dormitories, rooming houses, and employees and heads of group quarters. 1960 and 1970 have the narrowest definition, classifying military installation, college dormitory, and rooming house residents and non-inmates in institutions in separate categories, and leaving only employees in the "other non-inmates" category. 1980 has a definition similar to 1960/70, but it includes non-inmates in institutions, in addition to employees.

The household is defined as one or more persons who usually live together and share meals. The general categories for head, spouse, and child are consistent. However, "other relatives" and "non-relatives" are not comparable. Non-relatives are combined with other relatives in 1999 and cannot be distinguished. In this respect, 1999 Vietnam differs from all other samples.