Common-law status of person 15 years or over

Status: This standard was replaced by the 'Common-law status of person' as of October 19, 2015.

Definition

Common-law status refers to whether the person aged 15 or over is living with a person of the opposite sex or of the same sex as a couple but is not legally married to that person. It includes situations where the members of such a couple are living apart temporarily because of illness, work or school.

Person 15 years or over refers to an individual whose age is 15 years or over.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard generally conforms to the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations' "Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses", Revision 2, 2008. The Principles recognize that in some countries it will be necessary to take customary unions such as consensual unions into account. Living common-law is the form of consensual union found in Canada.

Classifications

Additional information

See:

Relation to previous version

  • Common-law status of person 15 years or over October 20, 2008 to October 18, 2015

    The previous standard only defined common-law status as "living with a person of the opposite sex as a partner in a common-law union" (emphasis added). This standard expands the definition, in coherence with current practice, to include living with a same sex partner. Also, this standard adds that common-law status includes situations where the members of the couple are living apart temporarily because of illness, work or school. Such situations were not specifically referred to in the previous standard.

  • Common-law status July 15, 1998 to October 19, 2008
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