This document was added or updated on 23/04/2007.
GLOSSARY
Consensual union
Two people usually residing in the same household who share a social, economic and emotional bond usually associated with marriage and who consider their relationship to be a marriage or marriage-like union. This concept applies to persons in either registered or de facto marriages and includes same-sex couple relationships. In practice, a consensual union exists when the relationship between two people usually resident in the same household is reported as: husband, wife, spouse, partner, de facto, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover, boyfriend or girlfriend.
Couple family with children
This is a couple family with children present. It can be expanded to elaborate on the characteristics of those children, such as their number, age and dependency status. This family may or may not include other related individuals.
Couple family without children
This is a couple family with no dependent or non-dependent children present in the family. This family may or may not include other related individuals.
Couple relationship
A couple relationship is defined as two people usually residing in the same household who share a social, economic and emotional bond usually associated with marriage and who consider their relationship to be a marriage or marriage-like union. This relationship is identified by the presence of a registered marriage or de facto marriage.
Decree nisi
A decree nisi is a decree granted by a court in the first instance for the dissolution of a registered marriage. It is an interim document issued prior to a decree absolute and refers to the legal condition: "not coming into effect unless a person or persons fail to show cause against it within a certain time".
Though legally persons are not divorced until the issuing of a decree absolute, persons granted a decree nisi are considered to be divorced for the purposes of the 'Registered marital status' classification.
De facto marriage
The relationship between two people who live together in a couple relationship who are not registered as married to each other.
In practice, a de facto marriage exists between a couple of opposite sex when the two people are usual residents in the same household and their relationship is reported as: partner, de facto, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover, boyfriend, girlfriend or when their relationship is reported as husband, wife or spouse and the 'Registered marital status' of one or both partners (if also asked in the collection) is reported as a category other than married.
A de facto marriage exists between a couple of the same sex when the two people are usual residents in the same household and their relationship is reported as husband, wife, spouse, partner, de facto, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover or boyfriend. The term girlfriend should not be used as an indication of a de facto marriage between two females who are usual residents in the same household.
Dependent child
A person aged under 15, or a dependent student.
Dependent student
A full-time student aged 15-24, living in the same usual residence as his or her natural, step, foster or adoptive parent.
Divorced
A person who has formally ended his or her registered marriage by legal means and who has not remarried. Persons who have obtained a decree nisi are considered to be divorced.
Ever married
A person whose 'Registered marital status' is other than 'Never married'.
Family
Two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.
Household
One or more persons usually resident in the same private dwelling.
Income unit
A group of two or more persons who are usually resident in the same household and are related to each other through a couple relationship and/or parent/dependent child relationship; or a person not party to either such relationship.
Lone ancestor
An other related, usually resident, individual who is a Father/Mother or Grandfather/Grandmother. They are, thus, a usually resident parent or grandparent of a person in the household who has already formed a family relationship. To be identified as an other related individual, a person cannot have a spouse or partner usually resident in the household and cannot form a parent-child relationship with any other related individual in the household.
Married
'Married' has a different meaning depending on whether it refers to the concept of 'Social marital status' or the concept of 'Registered marital status'. According to the concept of 'Social marital status', the term married refers to the status of a person who is living with another person in either a registered marriage or a de facto marriage. According to the concept of 'Registered marital status', the term 'married' refers to the status of a person in a legally registered marriage, provided the person is not separated from his or her spouse, even if the spouse is not a usual resident of the same household. If there is any possibility of ambiguity, the term 'registered married' is used in preference to 'married' in relation to 'Registered marital status'.
Married in a de facto marriage
A person who lives with another person in a couple relationship and this relationship is not a registered marriage.
In practice, a de facto marriage exists between a couple of opposite sex when the two people are usual residents in the same household and their relationship is reported as: partner, de facto, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover, boyfriend, girlfriend or when their relationship is reported as husband, wife or spouse and the 'Registered marital status' of one or both partners (if also asked in the collection) is reported as a category other than married.
A de facto marriage exists between a couple of the same sex when the two people are usual residents in the same household and their relationship is reported as husband, wife, spouse, partner, de facto, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover or boyfriend. The term girlfriend should not be used as an indication of a de facto marriage between two females who are usual residents in the same household.
Married in a registered marriage
A person who lives with another person in a couple relationship and to whom he or she is legally registered as married.
In practice, a person is classified as being a partner in a registered marriage if his or her relationship to a person of the opposite sex, who usually lives in the same household, is reported as: husband, wife or spouse, and the 'Registered marital status' of both partners (if also asked in the collection) is reported as registered married. Under Australian law same-sex couples can not be registered as married and are therefore out of scope of this category.
Never married
A person who has never been a partner in a registered marriage.
Not married
The term 'not married' is used primarily in relation to 'Social marital status' and refers to a person who is not living with another person in either a registered marriage or a de facto marriage. This includes persons who live alone, with other family members, and those in shared accommodation; it also includes persons who are in a registered marriage or in a de facto marriage, but whose partners are not usually resident in the household.
When the term 'not married' is used in the context of 'Registered marital status', it refers to persons whose 'Registered marital status' is never married, widowed or divorced and also includes those who are living with a de facto partner, and must be footnoted as such.
In the context of 'Registered marital status', the term 'not registered married' is generally used in preference to 'not married'.
Not registered married
A person who is currently not a partner in a registered marriage.
It should be noted that this term relates to persons whose 'Registered marital status' is reported as never married, widowed or divorced and that the use of this term is preferable, in the context of 'Registered marital status', to the term 'not married'.
One parent family
A family consisting of a lone parent with at least one dependent or non-dependent child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the family. This family type may or may not include other related individuals.
The one parent family concept can be expanded to elaborate on the characteristics of the children, such as whether they are dependent children or not and for dependent children whether they are aged under 15 or are dependent students.
Examples of one parent families include: a 25-year-old parent with dependent children; and an 80-year-old parent living with a 50-year-old child.
Other family
A family of related individuals residing in the same household. These individuals do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household and are not related to a couple or one parent family in the household.
If two brothers, for example, are living together and neither is a partner, a lone parent or a child to someone else in the household, and neither is related to any person in the household who is in a couple or one-parent family, then they are classified as an other family. However, if the two brothers share the household with the daughter of one of the brothers and her husband, then both brothers are attached to the couple family and classified as other related individuals.
Partner
A person in a couple relationship with another person usually resident in the same household. The couple relationship may be in either a registered or de facto marriage and includes same-sex couples.
'Registered marital status'
An individual's current status in regard to a registered marriage, ie. whether he or she is widowed, divorced, separated, married or never married. The partners in a registered marriage must be of the opposite sex as under Australian law same-sex relationships cannot be registered.
Registered married
A legally registered married person not separated from his/her spouse, even if the spouse is not a usual resident of the same household.
Relationship in household
The relationship of each person in a family to the family reference person or where a person is not part of a family that person's relationship to the household reference person.
Same-sex couple
Two persons of the same sex who form a couple relationship and are usually resident in the same household.
Separated
A person who is a partner in a registered marriage, but has parted from his or her spouse, and has not yet divorced.
'Social marital status'
'Social marital status' is the relationship status of an individual with reference to another person who is usually resident in the household. A marriage exists when two people live together as husband and wife, or partners, regardless of whether the marriage is formalised through registration. Individuals are, therefore, regarded as married if they are in a de facto marriage, or if they are living with the person to whom they are registered as married.
Widowed
A person whose spouse in a registered marriage has died and who has not remarried
Print Page
Print All