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Definitions and references

Average family size - the total number of family members divided by the number of families.

    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Birth - the delivery of a child irrespective of the duration of pregnancy who, after being born, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as heart-beat.
    Reference: Births, Australia (cat. no. 3301.0)

Births outside marriage - births where the father was not married to the mother at the time of the birth, whether or not the parents were living together at the time of the birth, and whether or not the child may subsequently have been legitimated or adopted.
    Reference: Births, Australia (cat. no. 3301.0)

Births outside marriage acknowledged by father - births outside marriage where the father's name is recorded on the birth certificate.
    Reference: Births, Australia (cat. no. 3301.0)

Couple family - a family consisting of a male and a female partner who are married or in a de facto relationship. It may include one or more dependent children and/or other family members.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Couple family with dependants - a couple family with at least one dependent child present.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Couple only family - a couple family with no dependent children or other family members (e.g adult children) present.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Crude divorce rate - the number of divorces granted in the calendar year per 1,000 of the mean population for the calendar year.
    Reference: Divorces, Australia (cat. no. 3307.0)

Crude marriage rate - the number of marriages registered in the calendar year per 1,000 of the mean population for the calendar year.
    Reference: Marriages, Australia (cat. no. 3306.0)

De facto couple - a couple who identified themselves as de facto partners in a relationship question.
    Reference: Census of Population and Housing (cat. no. 2722.0)

Dependants (dependent children) - all family members under 15 years of age and family members aged 15-24 years attending an educational institution full-time, except those classified as husbands, wives, lone parents or other family heads.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Divorce rate - the number of divorces granted per 1,000 married male or female population.
    Reference: Divorces, Australia (cat. no. 3307.0)

Divorces involving children - divorces of couples with unmarried children of the marriage who were under 18 years of age at the time of application for divorce. Under the Family Law Act 1975, adopted and ex-nuptial children and children from a former marriage may be included (in certain cases). Children who are married or aged 18 years or more are not subject to custody and guardianship orders and are excluded.
    Reference: Divorces, Australia (cat. no. 3307.0)

Employed - persons aged 15 years and over who either worked during the reference week for pay, profit, commission, payment in kind or without pay in a family business, or who had a job but were not at work.
    Reference: The Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6203.0)

Family - two or more people related by blood, marriage, adoption, or a de facto relationship who live in the same household. Three major family types are identified: couple families, one parent families and families of related adults. Non-family members such as friends or boarders are excluded from the data on families.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Lone parent - the head of a one parent family.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Marriage rate - the number of marriages per 1,000 not married male or female population aged 15 years and over.
    Reference: Marriages, Australia (cat. no. 3306.0)

Median - the value at which half the population falls above, and half falls below.

Median age at first marriage
    Reference: Marriages, Australia (cat. no. 3306.0)

Median age of mothers at nuptial first confinement - the median age of mothers at the birth of the first child of their current registered marriage. Confinements (the number of pregnancies resulting in at least one live birth) rather than births are used in this indicator to ensure that mothers who have multiple births are counted only once.
    Reference: Births, Australia (cat. no. 3301.0)

Median duration of marriage to separation - the median interval between the date of marriage and the date of separation.
    Reference: Divorces, Australia (cat. no. 3307.0)

One parent family with dependants - a parent together with at least one dependent child of his/her own.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Persons who live alone - persons who are the only member of a household.
    Reference: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Australia (cat. no. 6224.0)

Total fertility rate - the average number of children a woman would bear during her lifetime if she conformed to the current age-specific fertility rates.
    Reference: Births, Australia (cat. no. 3301.0)



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