RELATIONSHIP QUESTIONS IN RECENT AFRICAN CENSUSES

The United Nations (1980:71)  recommend to distinguish the following household relationships:

    (1) Head
    (2) Spouse
    (3) Child
    (4) Spouse of child
    (5) Grandchild or great-grandchild
    (6) Parent (or parent of spouse)
    (7) Other relative
    (8) Domestic Employee
    (9) Other non related

Where the classification is considered too detailed, categories (6) Parent, and (8) Domestic Employee, may be eliminated.
It would seem that these principles have not weighed heavily in the African censuses of the late 80s or early 90s.

The following list of relationships is based on the censuses available in the ACAP files.  There are other sets of questions that are useful to investigate household structure and relationships: Marital status (including mention of polygyny); children ever born to individual women, surviving, and living with their mother of elsewhere (Brass questions); and survival of the individual's father and mother (orphanhood questions).

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Reference: United Nations (1980).  Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses,  Statistical Papers Series M, no. 67.

RECENT CENSUSES

BOTSWANA 1991

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Child
        4. Parent
        5. Grandchild
        6. Nephew/niece
        7. In-laws
        8. Other relative/Not related

Category "living together,"  no polygyny
Complete set of Brass Questions
 

CAMEROON 1987

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Child
        4. Parent
        5. Other Relative
        6. Not related

Information on mono- and polygamous unions, with # of wives and rank.
Survival of father and mother
 

CHAD 1993

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Child
        4. Parent
        5. Other relative
        6. Not related

Mono- and polygamous unions
Children ever born and surviving, by sex.
Survival of father and mother
 

GAMBIA 1993

        1. Head
        2. Temporary head
        3. Spouse
        4. Son/Daughter
        5. Son's son/daughter
        6. Daughter's son/daughter
        7. Father/Mother
        8. Mother's husband/Father's wife
        9. Brother/Sister
        10. Brother's son/daughter
        11. Sister's Son/daughter
        12. Father's father/mother
        13. Mother's father/mother
        14. Father's brother/sister
        15. Mother's brother/Sister
        16. Other relative
        17. Not related

Mono- or polygamous union
Complete set of Brass questions, by sex
Survival of father and mother.
 

KENYA 1989

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Son/Daughter
        4. Father/Mother
        5. Othger relative
        6. Not related

Mono- or polygamous union
Complete set of Brass questions, by sex
Survival of father and mother
 

LESOTHO 1996

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Child
        4. Son/ Daughter-in-law
        5. Great grand-child  [?; probably grandchild]
        6. Parent/Parent-in-law
        7. Other relative
        8. Domestic employee
        9. Not related

Mono- or polygamous union
Complete set of Brass questions
Survival of father and mother
 

MALAWI 1987

        1. Head
        2. Wife/Husband
        3. Son/Daughter
        4. Other relative
        5. Not related

No information on type of union
Complete set of Brass questions
 

MALI 1987

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Child
        4. Father/Mother
        5. Brother/Sister
        6. Other relative
        7. Not related
        8. N.A.

Number and rank of wives
Children ever born and surviving
Survival of father and mother
 

NIGER 1988

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Son/Daughter
        4. Father/Mother
        5. Grand-son/Grand-daughter
        6. Other relative
        7. Not related

Mono- or polygamous union
Children ever born and surviving
Survival of father and mother
 

SENEGAL 1988

        [Two-tiered set of questions on relationship, expressed by a two-digit number: (A) First digit: Relationship of heads of nucleus to the head of household;
        (B) Second digit: Relationship to the head of nucleus. The list of relationships is as follows:

            0. Head
            1. Wife
            2. Child of both the head and his wife
            3. Child of the father only
            4. Son-in-law/Daughter-in-law
            5. Father/Mother
            6. Grandchild
            7. Brother/Sister
            8. Other relative
            9. Not Related

        According to this logic,
            00: Head of household
            01: Wife of head
            03: Child of head
            ...
            20: Son of the head of household, head of nucleus
            21: Wife of son of head
            ...
            95: Mother of a non relative of the head. ]

Number and rank of wives
Survival of father and mother.
 

SWAZILAND 1986

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Son/Daughter
        4. Brother/Sister
        5. Nephiew/Niece
        6. Grandchild
        7. Parent
        8. Other relative
        9. Not related
        10. Visitor

Differentiates between Marriage by Civil Right and by Tswana Custom, and between Never-married with children and without.
Complete set of Brass questions
Survival of father and mother.
 

TANZANIA 1988

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Son
        4. Daughter
        5. Other relative
        6. Not related

No information on type of union
Complete set of Brass questions, by sex
Survival of mother
 

UGANDA 1991

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Child
        4. Parent
        5. Brother/Sister
        6. Other relative
        7. Other, not related
        8. Institutional
        9. Visitor

No information on type of union
Survival of father and mother
Children ever born and surviving
 

ZAMBIA 1990

        1. Head
        2. Spouse
        3. Own son/Daughter
        4. Step son/Daughter
        5. Other relative
        6. Not related

No information on type of union
Complete set of Brass questions by sex