Comparability — Afghanistan [top]

Because the Afghanistan sample is limited to ever-married women, the "living with partner" and "never married" categories are not included in the Afghanistan sample.

Comparability — Bangladesh [top]

The 2000, 2004, 2007, 2011, and 2014 Bangladesh samples distinguish between "Separated" (code "33") and "Deserted" (code "34"). To maximize comparability with samples that do not include "Deserted", these two response categories should be combined into "Separated/no longer living together."

Comparability — Egypt [top]

Because Egyptian samples are limited to ever-married women, the "living/lived with a man" and "never in union" categories are not included. The samples for 1988, 1992, and 1995 recognize only married, divorced, and widowed categories; samples for 2000 and later years also include "separated." Prior to 2000, most separated women probably reported themselves as married, though some may have reported their separation as a de facto "divorce."

Comparability — India [top]

While the 1992 and 1998 Indian surveys include only ever-married women, the 2005 and 2015 Indian surveys include women of all marital statuses. Researchers who wish to study India across all four surveys must therefore drop the "never-married" cases from the 2005 and 2015 samples. The response category of "married, Gauna not performed" refers to women who are legally married but whose marriages are not consummated; such women are treated as "never married" in the MARSTAT coding scheme.

Comparability — Jordan [top]

Because Jordanian samples are limited to ever-married women, the "living/lived with a man" and "never in union" categories are not included in any of the Jordanian samples.

Comparability — Kenya [top]

The Kenya 2003 survey form includes separate response categories for "married with certificate" and "married by custom" but this distinction is not maintained within MARSTAT.

Comparability — Mali [top]

Malian surveys for 1995 and 2001 include the response category "first union not consummated," which is coded as "never married" in MARSTAT. Notably, the 1987 Mali survey does not distinguish "married" and "living with a man," while the remaining Mali samples separate these categories.

Comparability — Morocco [top]

While the 1987 Moroccan survey includes only ever-married women, the 1992 and 2003 Moroccan surveys include women of all marital statuses. Researchers who wish to study Morocco across all surveys must therefore drop the "never-married" cases from the 1992 and 2003 samples. Additionally, none of the Moroccan samples ask whether the respondent has ever lived with a man, and so the response category "Living together" is not available for any of the Moroccan samples.

Comparability — Myanmar [top]

The 2015 Myanmar sample does not ask whether the respondent has ever lived with a man, and so the response category "Living together" is not available for the 2015 Myanmar sample.

Comparability — Nepal [top]

While the 1996 and 2001 Nepal surveys include only ever-married women, the 2006, 2011, and 2016 Nepal surveys include women of all marital statuses. Researchers who wish to study Nepal across all surveys must therefore drop the "never-married" cases from the 2006, 2011, and 2016 samples. Additionally, none of the Nepal samples ask whether the respondent has ever lived with a man, and so the response category "Living together" is not available for any of the Nepal samples. The response category of "Married, Gauna not performed" refers to women who are legally married but whose marriages are not consummated; such women are treated as "never married" in the MARSTAT coding scheme.

Comparability — Pakistan [top]

Because Pakistani samples are limited to ever-married women, the "living/lived with a man" and "never in union" categories are not included in any of the Pakistani samples.

Comparability — South Africa [top]

The 2016 South Africa survey asks, "Are you currently married or living together with someone as if married? [...] Have you ever been married or lived together with someone as if married? What is your marital status now: are you widowed, divorced, or separated?" Unlike most other surveys, the 2016 South Africa survey does not limit marriage or cohabitation to a relationship between a man and a woman.

Comparability — Sri Lanka [top]

Because Sri Lankan sample is limited to ever-married women, the "living with partner" and "never married" categories are not included in the Sri Lankan sample.

Comparability — Sudan [top]

Because the Sudanese sample is limited to ever-married women, the "living/lived with a man" and "never in union" categories are not included in the 1989 Sudan sample. The 1989 sample recognizes only married, divorced, and widowed categories. Most separated women probably reported themselves as married, though some may have reported their separation as a de facto "divorce."

Comparability — Tunisia [top]

Because the Tunisian sample is limited to ever-married women, the "living with partner" and "never married" categories are not included in the Tunisian sample.

Comparability — Yemen [top]

While the 1991 Yemen survey includes only ever-married women, the 2013 Yemen survey includes woman of all marital statuses. Researchers who wish to study Yemen across all surveys must therefore drop the "never-married" cases from the 2013 sample.

Additionally, the 2013 Yemen survey has two separate questionnaires: an ever-married questionnaire, and a single woman's questionnaire. Because this question is only included in the ever-married questionnaire, the "living together" response category is not available in either of the Yemen samples.

Comparability — Zimbabwe [top]

Although all women of childbearing age were sampled, the 1988 Zimbabwe survey referred only to marriage and its dissolution, not to living with a man. The 1994 Zimbabwe survey asked whether women not currently married had "ever been married or lived with a man," but the codes do not distinguish between marriage and cohabitation. For these two samples, separation and divorce are also not distinguished from each other. Later Zimbabwe surveys do distinguish marriage from cohabitation and divorce from separation, but researchers must combine categories for comparability with the first two surveys for Zimbabwe.