Literal question
<span class="h2">Section 8. Marital status - For persons 14 years and over</span></p>
<p> [Question 36 applies only to persons who are 14 years old]</p>
<p>36. Marital status</p>
<div class="i1">What is (N's) [the respondent's] marital status?<br /><br />[] 1. Never married (N.M.)<br />[] 2. Married (M.)<br />[] 3. Widowed (W.)<br />[] 4. Legally separated (L.S.)<br />[] 5. Divorced (D.)<br />[] 9. Not stated</div>
Interviewer instructions
<span class="h3">Section 8 - Marital status</span></p>
<p>Marital Status is a demographic characteristic involving biological, social, economic, legal and in many cases, religious aspects. For the purposes of the 2000 Population and Housing Census, emphasis is placed on the legal sanctions of the association between two persons. In essence, Marital Status is the personal status of each individual in relation to the Marriage Laws or Customs of Trinidad and Tobago.</p>
<p>This section is applicable to person's 14 years old and over.</p>
<p>Information on marital status classified by age and sex is used to indicate the extent to which people in the country are married, have failed to marry or have become widowed or divorced. The analysis of marital status becomes especially useful when further classified by characteristics of occupation, income, education and ethnic origin.</p>
<p><span class="em">Question 36 - Marital status</span></p>
<p>This question is for all person's fourteen (14) years old and over. Emphasis here is placed on the presence of legal sanction of the association and should not be confused with "union status".</p>
<p><span class="pg">[p.57]</span></p>
<p>Marital Status can be classified as follows:</p>
<div class="i1">1. Never married - This category covers all individuals 14 years old and over who have never been married.<br /><br />2. Married - This covers all married persons whether or not they are living with partners to whom they are married. Also to be included in this category are persons married according to Hindu or Muslim rites, whether or not these marriages have been formally registered. A person living apart though not legally separated from his or her married partner is to be recorded as married.<br /><br />3. Widowed - This covers all married persons whose partners have died.<br /><br />4. Legally separated - This applies where married persons are living apart and separated by a court order. <br /><br />5. Divorced - This covers all persons whose marriages have been dissolved by legal proceedings.</div><p>Note to interviewer: There may be instances where the couple may be living apart but the divorce has not been made final. Such persons are not to be entered as divorced but as married or legally separated as the case may be.
