Household members: Their relationships, their membership of

extended families and multigenerational families

Oliver Duke-Williams and John HaskeyContact: oliver.duke-willliams@ons.gsi.gov.uk

British Society for Population Studies Conference 2004University of Leicester, 13-15th September

The project

• Study the relationship matrix in the 2001 Census– How well was it completed?– Are any problems systematic?– How well is it currently being used?– What further use can be made of it?– Should it be used again in 2011?– Should it be modified in any way?

Definitions etc.

• Households v. families

• Nuclear family units

• Extended families

• Multigenerational families

The relationship question

• Persons up to person 5 (6 in NI) report all relationships

• Subsequent persons report relationships to persons 1 and two preceding persons

The relationship matrix

• Top-left corner is fully reported

• Remainder is partially reported

• Only one relationship is reported

Basic relationship types

• Husband / wife• Partner• Son / daughter• Step-child• Brother / sister• Parent• Step-parent• Grand-child• Grand-parent• ‘Other related’.

• Smaller set recognised than in 1991

• Does not include aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, or in-law

Basic family types

• Ungrouped individuals

• Married couple

• Cohabiting couple, opposite sex

• Cohabiting couple, same sex (male)

• Cohabiting couple, same sex (female)

• Lone parent (male)

• Lone parent (female)

Problems to be faced (1)

• Inconsistencies

• Unclear relationships

Unclear relationships

Parents

Child Step-child?

• How was the relationship between the two children reported on the Census form?

Problems to be faced (2)

Number of persons in the household

More

More

‘Problems’

Number of households

Extended families (1)

• Presence of extended family as opposed to nuclear

• Types of extended family– Vertically extended– Horizontally extended– Vertically and horizontally extended

Extended families (2)

• Dis-aggregation by other variables– Geographic aspects

• Location: GOR and lower if possible• Type of location: Area type classifications

– Household member characteristics– Age, sex, ethnicity, NS-SeC, religion, education etc.

• All families: by characteristics of HRP (or FRP)• Couple families: by couple type, by combined

characteristics of both partners• Homo / heterogeneity within extended families

Multi-generational families (1)

• Types of multi-generational family– Who is the head of household?– How many generations?– Multi-generational with skipped

generations

Multi-generational families (2)

• Dis-aggregation by other variables– Use similar set to extended family dis-

aggregation

‘Non-family’ households

• Households that do not contain a nuclear family unit– Single person households

• Pensioner and other

– Multiple person households• All pensioner, all student, etc.

Future plans

• Use of LS

• Use of 2001 Census