Output

The standard output categories for Registered Marital Status are the same as the standard classification. This is a non-hierarchical structure comprising the five categories: 

Output may also include the supplementary code 0: Not stated, if applicable. (Note - in the Census of Population and Housing, if registered marital status is not stated, it is imputed. For more information, see the glossary term 'Registered Marital Status (MSTP) contained in the Census of Population and Housing: Census Dictionary, 2016 (cat. no. 1286.0)).

The term 'Not married' can be used for people whose registered marital status is coded as Never married, Widowed or Divorced. People whose registered marital status is coded as Separated are not considered to be 'Not married' as they have not divorced. The term 'Not married' should be footnoted as follows:

• Refers to people whose registered marital status is Never married, Widowed or Divorced, including those who are living with a de facto partner.,

The term 'Ever married' can be used to refer to people whose registered marital status is other than Never married. It should be footnoted as follows:

• Refers to people whose registered marital status is Widowed, Divorced, Separated, or Married.

Registered Marital Status can be cross-classified with Social Marital Status. A standard output structure for this cross-classification can be found in the 'Output' section of the Social Marital Status Standard contained in this publication. Care should be taken to ensure that labels and footnotes clearly differentiate the two variables.

No specific measurement issues apply to the variable Registered Marital Status beyond the normal constraints affecting statistical collections, such as problems with confidentiality and standard errors which may prevent the output of data for some of the categories of the classification.

Because of the close connection between Registered Marital Status, Social Marital Status, Relationship in Household, Family Composition and Household Composition, none of these should be changed without first considering any implications of the proposed change for the other related classifications.