Statistics Canada
www.statcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Economic Family
Concept: Economic Family
Definition:
Economic family refers to a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law or adoption. A couple may be of opposite or same sex. Foster children are included.
By definition, all persons who are members of a census family are also members of an economic family. Examples of the broader concept of economic family include the following: two co-resident census families who are related to one another are considered one economic family; co-resident siblings who are not members of a census family are considered as one economic family; and, nieces or nephews living with aunts or uncles are considered one economic family.
Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards
This standard is compatible with the definition of "family within the household" presented in the United Nations' Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1, 1998. This document defines the family within the household as "those members of the household who are related, to a specified degree, through blood, adoption or marriage. The degree of relationship used in determining the limits of the family in this sense is dependent upon the uses to which the data are to be put and so cannot be established for worldwide use."
In its discussion of statistical units, the Final Report and Recommendations of the Canberra Group, Expert Group on Household Income Statistics comments on international usage of two concepts of family which it refers to as the nuclear family and a broadly defined family often referred to as the economic family. The report observes that this broadly defined family "usually includes all persons sharing a dwelling who are related by blood, marriage or adoption." This standard fits within this definition.
Relation to previous standard
The previous standard made no reference to same-sex couples. The addition of the words "a couple may be of opposite or same sex" reflects the established practice of including same-sex common-law couples and recognizes that same-sex couples can also be married.
In the previous standard, foster children were not included.
| Status: | |
|---|---|
| Departmental standard | X |
| Recommended standard | |
| Program-specific standard | |
This standard was approved by Methods and Standards Committee on February 20, 2006.
Variables:
Variable: Economic Family Size
Definition:
Economic family size refers to the number of persons in an economic family.
Standard Classifications:
Variable: Economic Family Structure
Definition:
Economic family structure refers to the classification of economic families according to the family situation of the reference person. That is, whether the reference person is a member of a couple family, a lone-parent family or whether the reference person is not a member of either.
A couple family is one in which either of the two spouses, of either a now-married or common-law couple, is the economic family reference person.
For the purposes of this definition, a lone-parent family is which one in either the male or female lone-parent is the economic family reference person.
An other economic family is one in which the economic family reference person is neither a member of a couple family nor a lone-parent family.
Standard Classifications:
Variable: Economic Family Type
Definition:
Economic family type refers to the classification of economic families according to whether or not any member is responsible for household maintenance, that is, payments for rent, or mortgage, or taxes, or utilities, etc.
Standard Classifications:
