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GLOSSARY
This publication, Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families (cat. no. 6224.0.55.001) is produced from data collected in the June Labour Force Survey (LFS) for a particular year. It includes detailed family data not featured in the monthly Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) or Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery (cat. no. 6291.0.55.001) publications.
Since these products are all based on data collected in the LFS, the Glossary of publication Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) and information is provided in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001), may be of assistance.
The following glossary items are provided as they relate specifically to family characteristics.
Child
A person of any age who is a natural, adopted, step, or foster son or daughter of a couple or lone parent, usually resident in the same household. A child is also any individual under 15 years, usually resident in the household, who forms a parent-child relationship with another member of the household. This includes otherwise related children under 15 years and unrelated children under 15 years.
In order to be classified as a child, the person can have no partner or child of his or her own usually resident in the household.
There are three types of child identified in the 'Relationship in household' classification:
- Child under 15 years
- Dependent student
- Non-dependent child
The differentiation of children into these three types is based upon the dependency criterion and is designed to identify families with different structures and needs. Dependency as used in these standards refers to economic dependency and is applied only to the population of people who could be described as 'children'. It is thus not intended to measure an aged or disabled person's dependency.
See Dependant, Dependent Student and Non-dependent Child.
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.
A 'couple relationship' includes same-sex couples.Dependant
A dependant is a family member who is either:
- under 15 years of age;
- aged 15–19 years and attending school or aged 15–24 years and attending a tertiary education institution full time (i.e. dependent students).
In order to be classified as a dependant, the person must have no partner or child of his/her own usually resident in the household. A separate family in the household is formed in this instance.
Dependent Student
A full time student aged 15-24 years, living in the same usual residence as his or her natural, step, foster or adoptive parent.
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.
Consider, for example, if two elderly brothers are living with the family of the daughter of one of the brothers. The daughter's family forms the basic family of the household and the two brothers are both allocated to this family unit as related individuals. The two brothers do not form a separate family in their own right in addition to the daughter's family, because they are related to a couple family or one-parent family already present in the household. However, if the two brothers were living in a dwelling with a family to whom they were not related, they would then form a family in their own right and be classified as an 'other family'.
See Other Families’.Family Composition
The categories for family composition are:
- Couple family
- Couple family with dependants
- Couple family with children under 15 years
- Couple family without children under 15 years, but with dependent students
- Couple family without dependants
- Couple family without dependants, but with children 15 years or older (ie non-dependent child)
- Couple family without children
- One parent family
- One parent family with dependants
- One parent family with children under 15 years
- One parent family without children under 15 years, but with dependent students
- One parent family without dependants, but with children 15 years or older (ie non-dependent child)
- Other families
Father
The male parent with dependants and/or children. The relationship between a father and a child/dependant can be formed via a natural, adoptive, step, foster or child dependency relationship.
Household
One or more persons usually resident in the same private dwelling.
Husband/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.
Jobless Family
A jobless family is a family where no persons in the family aged 15 years or over are employed. This includes dependants.
In a jobless family, all of the family members are either unemployed and/or not in the labour force.
Families that have no employed members but do have members that are classified as undetermined in the scope of the labour force survey, such as members of the permanent Australian defence force, are not included in the number of jobless families.
Lone Parent family
See One Parent family.
Long-term job seekers
Refers to those persons who have been seeking work for one year or more.
Mother
A female parent with dependants and/or children. The relationship between a mother and a child/dependant can be formed via a natural, adoptive, step, foster or child dependency relationship.
Non-dependent Child
Non-dependent children are defined as children over the age of 15 years who are not studying full-time.
In order to be classified as a child, the person must have no partner or child of his/her own usually resident in the household. A separate family in the household is formed in this instance.
The types of parent-child relationships which can be formed are via a natural, adoptive, step, or foster relationship.
Dependency, as used in these classifications, refers to economic dependency and is only applied to the part of the population that can be described as ‘children’.
The dependency criterion is based on the barriers to full time employment: age and student status. Essentially, once a child turns 15 years and becomes eligible to be included in the labour force, they lose their dependency status unless they are attending school or a tertiary educational institution full-time, are aged 15 to 24 years old and live in the same household as their parents/ guardian.
See Child.
Non-private Dwelling
An establishment which provides a communal type of accommodation, such as a hotel, motel, hospital or other institution. Family data is not collected from non-private dwellings.
Not determined
Where a person has an unknown labour force status, or were permanent members of the Australian defence force (out of scope for labour force survey).
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.
Opposite-sex Couple
Two persons of the opposite sex who are in a couple relationship and are usually resident in the same household.
Other Families
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.
Private Dwelling
A residential structure which is self-contained, owned or rented by the occupants, and intended solely for residential use. A private dwelling may be a flat, part of a house, or even a room, but can also be a house attached to, or rooms above shops or offices. Family data is only collected from private dwellings.
Relationship in Household
The relationship of each person to the family reference person, or where the 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 are in a couple relationship and are usually resident in the same household.
Short-term job seekers
Refers to those persons who have been seeking work for less than 12 months.
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.
Tertiary Education Institution
A Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college, university, or other educational institution, excluding primary schools and secondary schools (i.e. High School).
Usual Resident
A person who usually lives in that particular dwelling and regards it as their own or main home.
Wife/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. |
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