Output

To represent the full range of household structures in statistical output, it is anticipated that most users and producers of household statistics will present data using the full classification structure. If output is to be presented in a nested or hierarchical manner, then the standard output labels are:

If output is to be presented at one level only there are several options of standard output labels depending on the output purposes and requirements.

Many users are interested in an output structure that focuses on particular aspects of the data collected. In such cases, combining the output of the 'Family composition' variable with that of the 'Household composition' variable will be most useful. For example, they may be interested in the presence of absence of dependent children within the family (from 'Family composition') and whether people other than just these parents and their dependent children are also present in the household (from 'Household composition'). Such other people are non-dependent children, other related individuals in the family, or non-family members in the household.

Published output uses either detailed or short output structures and both should be labelled 'Family composition of household'. The same title is applied to both structures because the short structure is an aggregation of some categories of the detailed structure and is thus fully compatible.

The first (and more detailed) recommended standard cross-classified output structure follows. This output structure has mandatory explanatory requirements in the form of footnotes or glossary entries which are detailed in the 'Summary information' section below.

If required, the output can feature two extra subtotals:

• Total households with dependent children.
• Total households with no dependent children.

The categories of the detailed output structure provided above may be aggregated in a variety of ways in order to best fulfil user requirements. For example separate information on Lone persons and Group households may not be required, in which case output could be published at the Non-family household level. However, in the interests of comparability across collections a shorter aggregated version of the structure is explained below and is recommended for use where possible.

The detailed information required to construct this output tabulation is too lengthy for inclusion as footnotes to the table. This information is specified below under the heading 'Detailed description of table categories'. The summary information below outlines the information contained in the detailed description to aid interpretation of the table: it should be included as footnotes, in a glossary or as explanatory material to any published output.

Summary information aids interpretation of the output table and should be included as footnotes, in a glossary or as explanatory material to any published output. The information required is:

1. The expression 'Other persons' refers to non-dependent children, other related individuals, and non-family members in the household.
2. The categories 'Couple family with dependent children only', 'One parent family with dependent children only' and 'Couple only' do not contain any non-dependent children, any related individuals, or any non-family members in the household.
3. The category 'Other one family households' comprises the 'Family composition' categories 'Other family' and 'One parent family with no children under 15, no dependent students and with non-dependent children'.

The following information defines the exact content of each category in the detailed output structure above:

a. Dependent children are children aged under 15 years, and dependent students (i.e. full-time students aged 15-24 years).

b. The expression 'Other persons' refers to non-dependent children, other related individuals, and non-family members in the household.

c. 'Other related individuals' are persons who report one of the following 'Relationship in household' to the Family reference person:

61 Brother/sister
62 Father/mother
63 Non-dependent grandchild
64 Grandfather/grandmother
65 Cousin
66 Uncle/aunt
67 Nephew/niece
69 Other related individual not elsewhere classified

They are identified by cross-classification of the family with 'Relationship in household' data.

d. The categories 'Couple family with dependent children only', 'One parent family with dependent children only' and 'Couple only' do not contain any non-dependent children, any related individuals, or any non-family members in the household.

e. The category 'Couple family with dependent children only' comprises the following 'Family composition' categories, where the 'Household composition' category is '11 One family household with only family members present', and no 'other related individuals' are present:

• 2112 Couple family with children under 15, dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 2122 Couple family with children under 15, no dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 2212 Couple family with no children under 15, and with dependent students and no non-dependent children

f. The category 'Couple family with dependent children and other persons' includes the following 'Family composition' categories:

• 2111 Couple family with children under 15, dependent students and non-dependent children
• 2121 Couple family with children under 15, no dependent students and with non-dependent children
• 2211 Couple family with no children under 15, and with dependent students and non-dependent children

It also includes the following 'Family composition' categories where the 'Household composition' category is '12 One family household with non-family members present', or when 'other related individuals' are present:

• 2112 Couple family with children under 15, dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 2122 Couple family with children under 15, no dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 2212 Couple family with no children under 15, with dependent students and no non-dependent children

g. The category 'One parent family with dependent children only' comprises the following 'Family composition' categories, where the 'Household composition' category is '11 One family household with only family members present', and no 'other related individuals' are present:

• 3112 One parent family with children under 15, dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 3122 One parent family with children under 15, no dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 3212 One parent family with no children under 15, with dependent students and no non-dependent children

h. The category 'One parent family with dependent children and other persons' includes the following 'Family composition' categories:

• 3111 One parent family with children under 15, dependent students and non-dependent children
• 3121 One parent family with children under 15, no dependent students and with non-dependent children
• 3211 One parent family with no children under 15, and with dependent students and non-dependent children

It also includes the following 'Family composition' categories where the 'Household composition' category is '12 One family household with non-family members present', or when 'other related individuals' are present:

• 3112 One parent family with children under 15, dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 3122 One parent family with children under 15, no dependent students and no non-dependent children
• 3212 One parent family with no children under 15, with dependent students and no non-dependent children

i. The category 'Couple only' comprises the 'Family composition' category '1222 Couple family with no children', where the 'Household composition' category is '11 One family household with only family members present', and no 'other related individuals' are present.

j. The category 'Other one family households' comprises the 'Family composition' category '1222 Couple family with no children', where the 'Household composition' category is '12 One family household with non-family members present'; and the 'Family composition' categories '2221 Couple family with no children under 15, no dependent students and with non-dependent children'; '3221 One parent family with no children under 15, no dependent students and with non-dependent children'; and '9222 Other family'.

The second (and more concise) standard output structure is shown below. It represents an aggregated version of the detailed structure above and is fully compatible with it. Any table produced using this structure has mandatory explanatory requirements in the form of footnotes or glossary entries which must be listed beneath the resulting table.

The variable 'Household composition' is primarily used as a stand-alone variable but can be used in conjunction with many other variables to increase the explanatory power of the classification. 'Relationship in household' and 'Family composition' are required in order to determine 'Household composition'.

Over time the types of dwellings considered as private dwellings have expanded to include caravan parks and some retirement villages. Therefore while the actual scope of the 'Household composition' variable remains the same, the population of persons considered to be within that scope has expanded to enable such households to be enumerated. No other specific measurement issues apply to the variable 'Household composition' beyond the normal constraints affecting statistical collections, such as problems with confidentiality or standard errors which may not permit the output of data for some of the categories at the more detailed levels of the classification.

The 'Household composition' classification is closely linked to the following classifications:

• 'Family composition'.
• 'Relationship In household'.
• 'Income unit composition'.
• 'Social marital status'.

Changes to any of these classifications cannot be considered in isolation and all possible ramifications concerning the other classifications must be investigated before adopting the change.