1991 Population and Housing Census - IPUMS Subset
Botswana, 1991
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Reference ID
BWA_1991_PHC_v01_M_v7.5_A_IPUMS
Producer(s)
Central Statistics Office, IPUMS
Metadata
Created on
Sep 03, 2025
Last modified
Sep 03, 2025
Page views
186
- Data files
- BWA1991_PHC-H-H.dat
- BWA1991_PHC-P-H.dat
Work status during the last 30 days (BW1991A_ECONACT)
Data file: BWA1991_PHC-P-H.dat
Overview
Type:
Discrete
Decimal:
0
Start:
184
End:
184
Width:
1
Range:
-
Format:
Numeric
Questions and instructions
Literal question
<span class="h2">Section A</span></p>
<p><span class="em">(12 years and over)</span></p>
<p>12. During the past 30 days did [the respondent] work for cash?</p>
<div class="i1">[] 1 Yes for someone else (Go to Q. 14) <br />[] 2 Yes, for self (Go to Q. 14) <br />[] 3 No (Go to Q. 13)</div><p>13. Then what did [the person] do during the last 30 days?</p>
<div class="i1">[] 1 Family business<br />[] 2 Work at lands/farms/cattle post</div><div class="i2">[For responses 1 or 2,] go to Q.14</div><div class="i1">[] 3 Actively seeking work<br />[] 4 Housework<br />[] 5 Student<br />[] 6 Retired<br />[] 7 Other (specify)</div><div class="i2">[For responses 3 to 6,] go to Q.16 if female, else go to next person</div>
<p><span class="em">(12 years and over)</span></p>
<p>12. During the past 30 days did [the respondent] work for cash?</p>
<div class="i1">[] 1 Yes for someone else (Go to Q. 14) <br />[] 2 Yes, for self (Go to Q. 14) <br />[] 3 No (Go to Q. 13)</div><p>13. Then what did [the person] do during the last 30 days?</p>
<div class="i1">[] 1 Family business<br />[] 2 Work at lands/farms/cattle post</div><div class="i2">[For responses 1 or 2,] go to Q.14</div><div class="i1">[] 3 Actively seeking work<br />[] 4 Housework<br />[] 5 Student<br />[] 6 Retired<br />[] 7 Other (specify)</div><div class="i2">[For responses 3 to 6,] go to Q.16 if female, else go to next person</div>
Categories
| Value | Category |
|---|---|
| 1 | Family business |
| 2 | Work at lands, farms or cattlepost |
| 3 | Actively seeking work |
| 4 | Housework |
| 5 | Student |
| 6 | Retired |
| 7 | Other |
| 8 | Unknown |
| 9 | NIU (not in universe) |
Warning: these figures indicate the number of cases found in the data file. They cannot be interpreted as summary statistics of the population of interest.
Interviewer instructions
<span class="em">Column A13: Type of Activity</span></p>
<p>Then what did [the respondent] do during the past 30 days?</p>
<p>This column relates to persons who were neither self-employed nor working for other persons for cash payment during the 30 days before the census. Find out what they were doing instead during most of the reference period and probe if necessary.</p>
<p>Enter the appropriate one-digit code in the shaded area:</p>
<div class="i1">1 Family Business: A person may be working in a family business without receiving any cash payment for his/her labour. For example, a woman runs a small kiosk from which she sells snacks to office workers. Her younger brother helps her there, but instead of paying him a wage she gives him a bag of mealie meal and some other food each month. The woman would be classified as self-employed (code 2 in column A12) since she was working for profit, but her brother would be coded 3 in column A12 and 1 in column A13, since he did not receive any cash payment. If you enter code 1 in column A13, you must then go to columns A14 and A15 to ask what the person's occupation and industry were.<br /><br />2 Work at Lands/Farms/Cattlepost: This category includes farmers who grow mainly for household consumption (rather than to sell their products), and those individuals who worked at farms, lands or cattleposts but who did not receive any cash payment. If you enter code 2 in column A13, you must then go to columns A14 and A15 to find out what the person's occupation and industry were.<br /><br />3 Actively Seeking Work: A person who has applied for any job during the past 30 days should be considered to be actively seeking work (although categories 1, 2 and 5 take priority). If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br />4 Housework: Remember that either a woman or a man could be responsible for daily housework, i.e. cleaning of the house and premises, preparing food or generally caring for the other members of the household. If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br />5 Student: A student is a person, at least 12 years of age, who, as a result of attending school for most of the day, does not work. If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br />6 Retired: A retired person is a woman or a man who, as a result of old age or disability, cannot do any type of work. If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br /><span class="pg">[p.29]</span><br /><br />Other (specify): If the person was doing something other than the possibilities listed above, then write in what the person was doing in the space just below the words "Other (specify)" in column A13. If you need more space, use the comments box.</div><p>If a person says he/she was doing "nothing" during the past 30 days, probe to find out what the person was really doing. It is very unlikely that the person was literally doing nothing.</p>
<p>If a person says he/she does housework, or that he/she is a student/retired/other, probe to find out whether he/she did any work for cash during the past 30 days, no matter how little the cash or how short the period. If yes, go back to A12 and correct the code to 1 or 2 as appropriate, enter a dash in column A13, and continue to column A14.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, if a person has had more than one activity during the past 30 days, it is the foremost of these that must be taken (i.e. that which took up most time and/or which was most rewarding). There is, however, an exception to this:</p>
<p>Everything takes precedence over "housework". For example, if a person spent all his/her time doing housework - except for half a day when he/she went looking for work - he/she must be coded 3 as "actively seeking work" and not 4 as doing "housework".</p>
<p>In the sample questionnaire on page 26, a dash appears in column A13 for the head of household because he was working for someone else for cash during the past 30 days. Anne was working at the lands during the last 30 days (although not for cash payment), so she is coded 2. The question does not apply to Mimi or Molelo since they are under 12 years old, so dashes are entered for them. Anthony is a student, so he is coded 5. Since David is self-employed, the question does not apply to him, and a dash is entered. Thembe did not work because she has retired so code 6 is entered.
<p>Then what did [the respondent] do during the past 30 days?</p>
<p>This column relates to persons who were neither self-employed nor working for other persons for cash payment during the 30 days before the census. Find out what they were doing instead during most of the reference period and probe if necessary.</p>
<p>Enter the appropriate one-digit code in the shaded area:</p>
<div class="i1">1 Family Business: A person may be working in a family business without receiving any cash payment for his/her labour. For example, a woman runs a small kiosk from which she sells snacks to office workers. Her younger brother helps her there, but instead of paying him a wage she gives him a bag of mealie meal and some other food each month. The woman would be classified as self-employed (code 2 in column A12) since she was working for profit, but her brother would be coded 3 in column A12 and 1 in column A13, since he did not receive any cash payment. If you enter code 1 in column A13, you must then go to columns A14 and A15 to ask what the person's occupation and industry were.<br /><br />2 Work at Lands/Farms/Cattlepost: This category includes farmers who grow mainly for household consumption (rather than to sell their products), and those individuals who worked at farms, lands or cattleposts but who did not receive any cash payment. If you enter code 2 in column A13, you must then go to columns A14 and A15 to find out what the person's occupation and industry were.<br /><br />3 Actively Seeking Work: A person who has applied for any job during the past 30 days should be considered to be actively seeking work (although categories 1, 2 and 5 take priority). If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br />4 Housework: Remember that either a woman or a man could be responsible for daily housework, i.e. cleaning of the house and premises, preparing food or generally caring for the other members of the household. If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br />5 Student: A student is a person, at least 12 years of age, who, as a result of attending school for most of the day, does not work. If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br />6 Retired: A retired person is a woman or a man who, as a result of old age or disability, cannot do any type of work. If you enter code 3 in column A13, put dashes in columns A14 and A15. If the person is female, go to column A16. If the person is male, put dashes in columns A16 - A21 and continue on to the next person listed in column A1.<br /><br /><span class="pg">[p.29]</span><br /><br />Other (specify): If the person was doing something other than the possibilities listed above, then write in what the person was doing in the space just below the words "Other (specify)" in column A13. If you need more space, use the comments box.</div><p>If a person says he/she was doing "nothing" during the past 30 days, probe to find out what the person was really doing. It is very unlikely that the person was literally doing nothing.</p>
<p>If a person says he/she does housework, or that he/she is a student/retired/other, probe to find out whether he/she did any work for cash during the past 30 days, no matter how little the cash or how short the period. If yes, go back to A12 and correct the code to 1 or 2 as appropriate, enter a dash in column A13, and continue to column A14.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, if a person has had more than one activity during the past 30 days, it is the foremost of these that must be taken (i.e. that which took up most time and/or which was most rewarding). There is, however, an exception to this:</p>
<p>Everything takes precedence over "housework". For example, if a person spent all his/her time doing housework - except for half a day when he/she went looking for work - he/she must be coded 3 as "actively seeking work" and not 4 as doing "housework".</p>
<p>In the sample questionnaire on page 26, a dash appears in column A13 for the head of household because he was working for someone else for cash during the past 30 days. Anne was working at the lands during the last 30 days (although not for cash payment), so she is coded 2. The question does not apply to Mimi or Molelo since they are under 12 years old, so dashes are entered for them. Anthony is a student, so he is coded 5. Since David is self-employed, the question does not apply to him, and a dash is entered. Thembe did not work because she has retired so code 6 is entered.
Description
Definition
This variable indicates the person's working status during the last 30 days.
Universe
Botswana 1991: Persons age 12+ who did not work for cash during last 30 days [discrepancies: type I 0.2%; type II none]
concept
Concept
| var_concept.title | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Work Variables -- PERSON | IPUMS |