Question pretext
1. Never had a spouse or common-law
partner (Skip to Q91)
2. Married and living with Spouse
3. Married and not living with Spouse
4. Common Law
5. Visiting partner
6. Not in Union
All persons who never had a spouse or common law partner should skip to Q91.
The focus of this question is on the union status of the person and not on the marital status. Wherever these two concepts conflict the present union status takes precedence over the marital status. For example, a lady under 50 years of age may be legally married yet is being visited by or is visiting another person. In this case you must record the person as being in a visiting relationship (option 5). What is important is the relationship from which this lady is most likely going to be exposed to becoming pregnant.
Persons who are recorded as legally married (option 2) must have obtained a legal marital certificate from a religious denomination or through another appropriate legal means; they must also be in a present union with their spouse. Two persons living together in present union but who are not legally married are to be classified as having a common law union (option 4). A person who is legally married and not in present union with any partner is to be recorded as Married but not living with spouse (option 3). A person who is not in a union (option 6) was either previously married or in a common law relationship but is not presently in a union with anyone.