Output

The standard output categories for data on 'Family composition' replicate those of the 'Family composition' code structure (see the Classification and Coding page). The hierarchical structure of the classification allows the statistics to be output at the level of the classification best suited to their purpose. For example, output categories can be at the one, two, three or four digit level. Standard labels should be used to ensure comparability of published results and the following footnotes should be provided as applicable:

Output at level 1, i.e. 'Couple family with no children', 'Couple family with children', 'One parent family' or 'Other family', requires a footnote stating: The categories 'Couple family with children' and 'One parent family' may include children under 15, dependent students and non-dependent children.

Output at level 2, e.g. 'Couple family with no children under 15', requires a footnote stating: The categories 'Couple family with children under 15', 'Couple family with no children under 15', 'One parent family with children under 15' and 'One parent family with no children under 15' may include dependent students and non-dependent children.

Output at level 3, e.g. 'Couple family with no children under 15 and with dependent students', requires a footnote stating: The categories 'Couple family with children under 15 and dependent students', 'Couple family with children under 15 and no dependent students', 'Couple family with no children under 15 and with dependent students', 'One parent family with children under 15 and dependent students', 'One parent family with children under 15 and no dependent students' and 'One parent family with no children under 15 and with dependent students' may include non-dependent children.

Output at level 4, e.g. 'Couple family with no children under 15, and with dependent students and non-dependent children', is the most detailed level and requires only the mandatory footnotes listed below.

Although all output stated above is standard, there are additional mandatory requirements for footnotes and glossary entries: 

• There must be glossary definitions for every standard output label used.
• The categories 'With children under 15', 'With no children under 15 and with dependent students' and 'With non-dependent children only' are mutually exclusive; the category 'With children under 15' may or may not include the presence of dependent students and non-dependent children; similarly the category 'With no children under 15 and with dependent students' may or may not include non-dependent children. This must be stated in a footnote.
• Within all levels of the broad categories 'Couple family with no children', 'Couple family with children', and 'One parent family', other related individuals may be present in the family. This must be stated in a footnote.

Where information is required on the type of couple in a family, a code number called the 'type of couple identifier' can be applied as follows:

5 Opposite-sex couple
7 Same-sex male couple
8 Same-sex female couple

The type of couple identifier (whether a same-sex or opposite-sex couple) should be used only in conjunction with the level 1 categories (see below ). However, if data quality permits, it may be applied at any level of the classification. The dissemination of data about opposite-sex and same-sex couples at more detailed levels will depend on the data quality and sample size of the collection.

The numbers 5, 7, and 8 can be added to the first, second, third or fourth digits of the 'Family composition' code to produce aggregate outputs which distinguish between same-sex and opposite-sex couples at the required level of the classification. For example, aggregate data making this distinction at the broadest level can be produced using the following codes:

The following statement is a mandatory footnote for the same-sex couple output classification:

Within all levels of the broad categories 'Couple family with no children', 'Couple family with children', and 'One parent family', other related individuals may be present in the family.

Many users are interested in an output structure that focuses on particular aspects of the data collected. In such cases, combining the output of the 'Family composition' variable with that of the 'Household composition' variable will be most useful. For example, they may be interested in the presence of absence of dependent children within the family (from 'Family composition') and whether people other than just these parents and their dependent children are also present in the household (from 'Household composition'). Such other people are non-dependent children, other related individuals in the family, or non-family members in the household.

Published output uses either detailed or short output structures and both should be labelled 'Family composition of household'. The same title is applied to both structures because the short structure is an aggregation of some categories of the detailed structure and is thus fully compatible.

For details of the cross-classified output structure 'Family composition of household' refer to the 'Household composition' variable.

'Family composition' requires the supporting variables 'Relationship in household' and 'Age'.

Be careful when drawing conclusions about what is included in the various output categories. The 'Family composition' classification is relatively small and attempts to categorise a wide range of families into single categories. For example, the level 1 group can be misleading in relation to the category of one-parent families. This category includes the traditional notion of a lone parent with young children as well as a mature person living with an aged parent.

The 'Family composition' classification is closely connected with several other classifications. These include:

• 'Relationship in household'.
• 'Household composition'.
• 'Registered marital status'.
• 'Social marital status'.
• 'Income unit composition'.