Adopted child
See natural child.
Blended family
A couple family containing two or more children aged 0-17 years, of whom at least one is the natural or adopted child of both members of the couple, and at least one is the step child of either member of the couple. Blended families may also include other children who are not the natural children of either parent.
Capital city
For each State, capital city refers to the Capital City Statistical Division. All other regions within each state are classified as balance of state. The entire population of the ACT is classified as capital city, whilst the entire population of the Northern Territory is classified as balance of state.
Child
A person of any age who is a natural, adopted, step or foster son or daughter of a couple or lone parent, usually resident in the same household, and who does not have a child or partner of their own usually resident in the household. A child is also any individual under 15, usually resident in the household, who forms a parent-child relationship with another member in the household. This includes otherwise related children aged under 15 years and unrelated children aged under 15 years.
In the 2003 Family Characteristics Survey, an individual aged 15-17 years who was identified as being under the guardianship (see guardian) of another person aged 15 years and over in the household was also classified as a child.
Some tables only identify children aged 0-17 years; where this is the case, it is clearly stated in the title or in the labels.
Contact arrangement
An arrangement concerning the frequency and duration of a child's contact with a natural parent who is not usually resident in the same household.
Couple family
A family based on two persons who are in a registered or de facto marriage and who are usually resident in the same household. The family may include any number of dependents, non-dependents and other related individuals. It is not necessary for a parent-child relationship to be formed, thus a couple family can consist of a couple without children present in the household.
De facto marriage
The relationship between two people who live together in a consensual union who are not registered as married to each other. A de facto marriage may exist between a couple of the opposite sex or of the same sex.
Dependent child
A dependent child is an individual who is either a child aged under 15 years or a child aged 15-24 years who is a full-time dependent student (see dependent student). To be regarded as a child the individual cannot have a partner or a child of his or her own usually resident in the household. A dependent child must be attached to a nominal parent with whom she or he usually resides. This parent must be over 15 years of age.
Dependent student
A child who is 15-24 years of age and who attends a secondary or tertiary educational institution as a full-time student and who has no partner or child of his or her own usually resident in the same household.
In the 2003 Family Characteristics Survey, an individual aged 15-17 years who was identified as being under the guardianship (see guardian) of another person aged 15 and over in the household, who attended a secondary or tertiary educational institution as a full-time student, and who had no partner or child of his or her own usually resident in the same household was also classified as a dependent student.
Employed
Employed persons comprise all those aged 15 years and over who, during the reference week:
- worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind, in a job or business or on a farm (comprising 'Employees', 'Employers' and 'Own account workers') or
- worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers) or
- were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
- away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week or
- away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week or
- away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement or
- on strike or locked out or
- on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job or
- were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.
Employed full-time
Persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.
Employed part-time
Persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.
Family
Two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.
Family life stage
This is a classification of families according to the particular stage of life of couple families with and without children and lone parent families. Couple families without children are classified according to the age of the female partner: this group will include couple families who are yet to have children and those whose children have grown up and left home. Couple families with children and lone parent families are classified according to the age of youngest child: these range from families with children aged 0-2 years to those with non-dependent children aged 25 years and over, who may in fact be looking after aged parents in a caring role.
Family structure
The classification of families according to whether they are either intact families, step families, blended families, other couple families, or lone parent families. In this publication family structure is only presented for families with children aged 0-17 years.
Family type
The differentiation of families based on the presence or absence of couple relationships, parent-child relationships, child dependency relationships or other blood relationships, in that order of preference.
Foster child
A person who lives with a person or persons who are not his or her natural, adoptive or step parent(s). The definition of foster child includes dependent and non-dependent children. If the foster child is no longer dependent, but still regards his or her relationship with appropriate members of the household as a parent-child relationship, then he or she remains a foster child.
Frequency of contact
Children were classified as seeing their other natural parent (who is not usually resident in the same household) freqently if they saw this parent at least once per fortnight and rarely if they saw this parent at most once per year.
Grandparent families
Families in which the guardians (see guardian) of children aged 0-17 years are the grandparents of the children.
Guardian
A person aged 15 years and over who is reported as being the guardian or main carer of any child(ren) aged 0-17 years, regardless of the existence of any legal arrangement. Throughout this publication, the use of the term 'parent' also refers to guardians.
Household
A group of two or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling, who regard themselves as a household and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living; or a person living in a dwelling who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials for living without combining with any other person.
Intact family
A couple family containing at least one child aged 0-17 years who is the natural or adopted child of both members of the couple, and no child aged 0-17 years who is the step child of either member of the couple. Intact families may also include other children who are not the natural children of either parent.
Labour force status
A classification of the civilian population aged 15 years and over into employed, unemployed or not in the labour force.
Lone parent
A person who has no spouse or partner usually resident in the household but who forms a parent-child relationship with at least one child usually resident in the household.
Lone person
A person who makes provision for his or her food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person to form part of a multi-person household. He or she may live in a dwelling on their own or share a dwelling with another individual or family.
Marital status
A person's social marital status refers to their current living arrangements, that is whether or not they are living with another person in a couple relationship either in a registered marriage (see registered marriage) or a de facto marriage (see de facto marriage). A person's registered marital status refers to their status in relation to a legally registered marriage as either never married, currently married, separated, divorced or widowed. Some persons who are not living with their partner may still report their status as currently registered married rather than separated.
In the 2003 Family Characteristics Survey, social marital status was only collected for parents with children aged 0-17 years.
Natural child
A child who is related to his or her parents by either birth or adoption.
Natural parent
A parent who is related to his or her child(ren) by either birth or adoption.
Natural parent living elsewhere
One of a child's natural parents who is not usually resident in the same household as the child.
Never married
A person who has never been a partner in a registered marriage.
Non-dependent child
A natural, step, adopted or foster child of a couple or lone parent usually resident in the household, aged 15 years and over and who is not a full-time student aged 15-24 years, and who has no partner or child of his or her own usually resident in the household.
In the 2003 Family Characteristics Survey, any other individual aged 15-17 years who was identified as being under the guardianship (see guardian) of another person aged 15 years and over in the household, who was not a full-time student, and who had no partner or child of his or her own usually resident in the household was also classified as a non-dependent child.
Non-resident parent
Persons aged 15 years and over who have one or more natural children aged 0-17 years living elsewhere.
One parent family
A family consisting of a lone parent with at least one dependent or non-dependent child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the household.
Examples of one parent families include:
- a 25-year-old parent with dependent children; and
- an 80-year-old parent living with a 50-year-old child.
Other family
A family of other related individuals residing in the same household. These individuals do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household and are not attached to a couple or one parent family in the household.
For example, if two brothers are living together and neither is a spouse, a lone parent or a child, then they are classified as an other family. However, if the two brothers share the household with the daughter of one of the brothers and her husband, then both brothers are classified as other related individuals and are attached to the couple family.
Other related individual
An individual who is related to members of the household, but who does not form a couple relationship or parent-child relationship (see child). He or she can be related through blood, step and in-law relationships and include any direct ancestors or descendants. Relatives beyond first cousin are excluded.
Other related individuals can form their own family type or can be attached to an already existing family. Those related individuals who reside in the same household and who do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household are classified as an other family.
In cases where a couple family or one parent family has been formed, any persons who are related to members of these families and are usual residents of the household are other related individuals. In these circumstances they can be identified at the detailed level of the Family Type classification.
Parent
A natural, step, adoptive or foster mother or father of a child usually resident in the same household.
In the 2003 Family Characteristics Survey, any other individual aged 15 years and over who was identified as being a guardian (see guardian) of a child aged 0-17 years was also classified as being a parent.
Partner
A person in a couple relationship with another person usually resident in the same household. The couple relationship may be in either a registered or de facto marriage.
Proportion of nights with other parent
The proportion of nights a child stays with their non-resident parent is derived from information on how often a child stays overnight with this other parent e.g. weekly, fortnightly, etc. and the number of nights the child usually stays overnight with the other parent during that period. For example if a child stays overnight once a week with the other parent and usually stays for 2 nights, this would equal 29% of nights with the other parent.
Registered marital status
Registered marital status is a person's relationship status in terms of whether he or she has, or has had, a registered marriage with another person. Accordingly, people are classified as either widowed, divorced, separated, married or never married. The partners in a registered marriage must be of the opposite sex as same-sex relationships cannot be registered as marriages in Australia.
Registered marriage
A marriage between two people, usually resident in the same household, that has been registered and for which they hold a marriage certificate.
Sole care
A parental care arrangement in which the resident parent cares for the child for more than 70% of the time.
Spouse
A marital or de facto partner.
Step child
In a couple family, a child who is either the natural child of one partner but not of the other, or who was reported as being the step child of both parents. As a consequence of relationship breakdown or the death of a spouse, some one parent families may also have children reported as step children.
Step family
A couple family containing one or more children aged 0-17 years, none of whom is the natural or adopted child of both members of the couple, and at least one of whom is the step child of either member of the couple. A step family may also include other children who are not the natural children of either parent.
Usual resident
A person who usually lives or intends to live with the household for a total of six months or more and regards it as his or her own, or main, household; or a person who has no usual place of residence and is staying with the household during the reference period of the collection.
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