Mature Women cohort
This section first describes variables related to household and family composition, characteristics of household members, and household residence. Household identification and linkages between members of multiple respondent households are then discussed. Some familiarity with the following survey instruments which gather information on households is helpful: the Original Cohort Household Record Cards, the Original Cohort "Household Roster," and the household screeners that were used to select respondents for the various cohorts. The Survey Instruments section provides detailed descriptions of each of these instruments. The availability of information on partners is discussed in the Marital Status & Marital Transitions section. Those interested in information detailing the geographic residence (e.g., state, county, or SMSA) of NLS respondents should refer to the Geographic Residence & Environmental Characteristics.
Household characteristics
Household and family composition
During each survey year, a complete listing of family or household members was obtained in the "Household Roster" or household enumeration section of the questionnaire. Through 1982, only family members (i.e., related household members) were included on the "Household Roster," although some information about unrelated household members was collected in a separate series of questions in 1982. In later years, all household members were listed on the "Household Roster"; however, variable titles were not altered to reflect this change. For example, 'Household Record - Family Member # 5: Relationship to R' may actually provide the relationship to the respondent of an unrelated household member. The number of family or household members on the roster varied from 9 to 23 across survey years; users can determine whether unrelated household members were listed and the total number included for a given year by examining the questionnaire. Name, relationship, and date of birth items were generally transcribed from the Household Record Cards, documents that were completed before the interview began. Items in the "Household Roster" can be easily found on the data file by searching for the word "Record."
Characteristics of household members
Although questions and universes varied slightly across surveys, basic information about the age, relationship to the respondent, and labor force participation of members listed on the roster was collected each year. Information about educational status and attainment of family members was gathered in each year through 1987. Gender, while not reported in the roster before 1997, can usually be inferred from the relationship code; see the User Notes below for details. Table MW1 summarizes the survey years and universes for which the various types of information were collected.
Scroll right to view additional table columns.
| Survey year | Relationship to R | Age/date of birth (DoB) | Gender | Enrollment status | Highest grade attended (not enrolled members only) | Highest grade completed | Expected educational attainment | Work last week? | Weeks worked last year | Usual hours per week worked | Occupation (if worked in past year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F >= 6 | F >= 6 | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | ||
| 1969 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | ||
| 1971 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | ||
| 1972 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | ||
| 1974 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | |||||
| 1976 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | |||||
| 1977 | F | F DoB | F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | |||
| 1979 | F | F age | F 6-24 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | |||||
| 1981 | F | F age | F >= 3 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | |||||
| 1982 | F | F DoB | F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 | |||
| 1984 | H | H both | H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1986 | H | H both | H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1987 | H | H both | H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1989 | H | H both | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1992 | H | H both | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1995 | H | H both | H | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1997 | H | H both | H | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | |||||
| 1999 | H | H both | H | H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | ||||
| 2001 | H | H both | H | H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | ||||
| 2003 | H | H both | H | H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
Although unrelated household members were not included on the household roster until 1984, the 1982 questionnaire asked for the relationship, age, and sex of up to six unrelated household members in a separate series of questions.
Household residence
Data on the type of residence in which the respondent lived are only available for 1995-2003. In these surveys, the "Interviewer Remarks" section included a question about the type of dwelling, with answer categories such as detached house, apartment in building with or without elevator, trailer, etc.
Important information: Mature Women family members
Beginning in 1992, most information on the respondent's husband was gathered in the main body of the questionnaire rather than the "Household Roster" section.
Relationship codes for family and household members varied across survey years. From 1967-76, family members were given one of twelve codes identifying only direct relationships like spouse, children, parents, and siblings, with sex usually identified (e.g., son, daughter, other relative - male). Any other family members were simply coded as "other relative." The 1977-92 surveys used an expanded set of codes, with sex usually identified, that included grandparents; children by marriage; adopted, step-, and foster children; partners; and boarders and other nonrelatives. In 1995, codes with sex not identified were added for adopted, step-, and foster children; boarders; and partners.
Gender can be established by searching variable titles for the words "Record" and "Gender" in NLS Investigator.
Household identification and linkages
The sampling design used to select respondents often generated more than one NLS respondent from the same household. More than half of the respondents from the Mature Women cohort shared the same household with at least one other respondent from the same or another cohort at the time the screening was performed (see Tables MW2 and MW3). To facilitate use of this unique aspect of NLS data, constructed variables link respondents sharing the same household at the time of the 1966 screening (see variables R00003.00 through R00021.00)
| Household Type1 | Older Men | Mature Women | Young Men | Young Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Single Respondent | 3353 | 66.8% | 2509 | 49.4% | 1031 | 19.7% | 1018 | 19.7% |
| Multiple Respondents | 1667 | 33.2% | 2574 | 50.6% | 4194 | 80.3% | 4141 | 80.3% |
|
2 Respondent Households |
861 | 17.2% | 1347 | 26.5% | 1997 | 38.2% | 1887 | 36.6% |
|
3 Respondent Households |
477 | 9.5% | 775 | 15.2% | 1206 | 23.1% | 1216 | 23.6% |
|
4 Respondent Households |
234 | 4.7% | 311 | 6.1% | 650 | 12.4% | 625 | 12.1% |
|
5 Respondent Households |
71 | 1.4% | 115 | 2.3% | 264 | 5.1% | 288 | 5.6% |
|
6 Respondent Households |
17 | 0.3% | 21 | 0.4% | 49 | 0.9% | 83 | 1.6% |
|
7 Respondent Households |
5 | 0.1% | 3 | 0.1% | 21 | 0.4% | 32 | 0.6% |
|
8 Respondent Households |
1 | <0.05% | 1 | <0.05% | 1 | <0.05% | 9 | 0.2% |
|
9 Respondent Households |
1 | <0.05% | 1 | <0.05% | 6 | 0.1% | 1 | <0.05% |
| Total Respondents |
5020 |
100% |
5083 |
100% |
5225 |
100% |
5159 |
100% |
| 1 Household types for all cohorts are based on data gathered during the household screening. Reference numbers are R00003.00-R00021.00 (Older Men, Mature Women, and Young Men) and R00003.00-R00021.55 (Young Women). | ||||||||
| Household Type and Cohort(s)1 |
Older Men |
Mature Women |
Young Men |
Young Women |
Households |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Respondents |
5020 |
5083 |
5229 |
5159 |
12,827 |
|
| Single Respondent |
3353 |
|
|
|
3353 |
|
|
|
2509 |
|
|
2509 |
||
|
|
|
1031 |
|
1031 |
||
|
|
|
|
1018 |
1018 |
||
| Multiple Respondent | ||||||
| Intra-Cohort Respondents2,3 | ||||||
| Older Men |
91 |
|
|
|
43 |
|
| Mature Women |
|
74 |
|
|
36 |
|
| Young Men |
|
|
1697 |
|
786 |
|
| Young Women |
|
|
|
1645 |
743 |
|
| Inter-Cohort Respondents2,4 | ||||||
| OM-MW |
572 |
572 |
|
|
567 |
|
| OM-YM |
934 |
|
1167 |
|
931 |
|
| OM-YW |
843 |
|
|
1069 |
839 |
|
| MW-YM |
|
1415 |
1792 |
|
1406 |
|
| MW-YW |
|
1508 |
|
1957 |
1502 |
|
| YM-YW |
|
|
2253 |
2260 |
1880 |
|
| OM-MW-YM |
239 |
239 |
306 |
|
238 |
|
| OM-YM-YW |
402 |
|
513 |
519 |
401 |
|
| OM-MW-YW |
231 |
231 |
|
301 |
231 |
|
| MW-YM-YW |
|
618 |
786 |
799 |
614 |
|
| OM-MW-YM-YW |
122 |
122 |
159 |
160 |
122 |
|
| 1 All information on respondents residing in the same household is based on information collected at the 1966 screenings. Reference numbers include: R00003.00-R00021.00 (Older Men, Mature Women, and Young Men) and R00003.00-R00021.55 (Young Women). | ||||||
| 2 Categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, a household containing three Young Men and one Mature Woman would be included as an intra-cohort Young Men household as well as an inter-cohort Mature Women-Young Men household. | ||||||
| 3 The number of respondents from households in which at least two respondents from the same cohort resided together at the time of the 1966 screenings. | ||||||
| 4 The number of respondents from two or more cohorts who resided in the same household at the time of the 1966 screenings. Older Men is abbreviated OM, Mature Women is MW, Young Men is YM, and Young Women is YW. | ||||||
Variables specifying the dominant relationships (e.g., siblings, spouses, parents-children) are available within each Original Cohort data set. These variables provide the identification codes of other respondents originating from the same household by relationship and cohort, e.g., 'Identification Code of 1st Sister.' The following relationship linkages are available: spouses (Older Men and Mature Women, Young Men and Young Women), mothers and children (Mature Women and Young Women, Mature Women and Young Men), fathers and children (Older Men and Young Women, Older Men and Young Men), and siblings (Young Women and Young Men). Table MW4 depicts the numbers and types of pairs that existed during the initial survey years among members of the four Original Cohorts.
| Pairs |
Young Women |
Young Men |
Mature Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older Men Spouse Pairs |
|
|
492 |
| Older Men Parent-Child Pairs |
988 |
1098 |
|
| Mature Women Parent-Child Pairs |
1848 |
1671 |
|
| Young Men Spouse Pairs |
584 |
|
|
| Young Men Sibling Pairs |
1461 |
1044 |
|
| Young Women Sibling Pairs |
1016 |
|
|
| This table is based on R00003.50 (Older Men and Mature Women), R00003.01-R00003.52 (Young Men), and R00003.50-R00003.52 and R00021.01-R00021.55 (Young Women). | |||
NLS staff developed relationship codes based on a Census tape that included the identification numbers of all individuals who shared a household during the screening procedure. The following logic was used in assigning relationship codes: if a 47-year-old man from the Older Men cohort said he had a 38-year-old wife and a 38-year-old woman from the Mature Women cohort with the same household ID said she had a 47-year-old husband, husband-wife relationships were assigned. A one-year difference was allowed between the reported ages; three years of interview information were checked. Although these matches represent unique samples for a number of research topics, users should be aware that they typically include demographically non-representative matches. For example, father-daughter matches from the Older Men and Young Women Cohorts include fathers who were at least 45 years of age in 1966 and daughters who were no older than 24 in 1968.
Although other types of relationships may have existed, only spouse, sibling, or parent/child relationship codes were assigned. However, identification of other relationship types is possible through use of created variables (R00003.00 to R00021.00) that provide, by cohort, both the identification numbers of other respondents in the household (e.g., 'Identification Code of 1st Older Male in R's Household') and of the household ('Identification Code of R's Household'). To determine the nature of other relationships, users can match characteristics of household members from the first respondent's survey information (e.g., the age the first respondent claims for a cousin) with characteristics of household members on the second respondent's household roster (e.g., the age the second respondent claims for a cousin), as was done for the development of the relationships described above.
Note that phrases such as "Younger Female," "Older Male," etc., within the titles of the constructed variables refer to the cohort--not to the relative age to the respondent. For example, a 14-year-old male has a 17-year-old sister; both are respondents. On his record, she would be called a "Younger Female" because she is in the Young Women cohort.
| Survey Instruments & Documentation | Generally, information on the "Household Roster" was transcribed from the Household Record Cards. The "Household Roster" is located within the "Family Members," "Family Background," or "Household Members" sections of the questionnaires. |
|---|
Important information: Mature Women family relationships
Users are warned that the relationships were inferred from data on the public data files. NLS staff did not have access to detailed information from the Census Bureau (names, etc.) to confirm these linkages. Only "dominant" relationships were considered, as discussed above. While these pairings are believed to be fairly accurate, they and the matching algorithms may have been affected by, for example, misreporting of age in the "Household Roster."
Once a family relationship was assigned, it was generally considered binding even if the household members lived separately. For instance, if the son of a mother/son pair left for college between the screening and the first interview, but a mother/son relationship could still be established based on information collected on the mother's "Household Roster" (for anyone away at college), a mother/son relationship was assigned. Similarly, if a husband/wife pair was divorced several years after the initial interview, this pair would still be linked as spouses. Data from the marital status variables would need to be used to update the relationship.
The data files for all four Original Cohorts include identification numbers for all other respondents in the household, which can be accessed by searching for the word "Identification" in NLS Investigator. However, the relationship of the other respondent is not always identified. While identification numbers of spouses in other cohorts are given for all four cohorts, only the Young Men and Young Women files include identification numbers for parent-child pairs. Therefore, for example, a mother-daughter relationship cannot be identified by looking at the Mature Women data file; users can only discover that a respondent in the Young Women's cohort lives in the same household. They must use the Young Women data files to discern whether that pair is a mother-daughter relationship.
Young Women cohort
This section first describes variables related to household and family composition, characteristics of household members, and household residence. Household identification and linkages between members of multiple respondent households are then discussed. Some familiarity with the following survey instruments that gather information on households is helpful: the Original Cohort Household Record Cards, the Original Cohort "Household Roster," and the household screeners that were used to select respondents for the various cohorts. The Survey Instruments section provides detailed descriptions of each of these instruments. The availability of information on partners is discussed in the Marital Status & Marital Transitions section. Those interested in information detailing the geographic residence (e.g., state, county, or SMSA) of NLS respondents should refer to the Geographic Residence & Environmental Characteristics section.
Household characteristics
Household and family composition
During each survey year, a complete listing of family or household members is obtained in the "Household Roster" or household enumeration section of the questionnaire. Through 1985, only family members (i.e., related household members) are included on the "Household Roster," although some information about unrelated household members was collected in a separate series of questions in 1978, 1982, 1983, and 1985. In more recent years, all household members are listed on the "Household Roster"; however, variable titles have not been altered to reflect this change. For example, 'Household Record - Family Member # 5: Relationship to R' may actually provide the relationship to the respondent of an unrelated household member. The number of family or household members on the roster has varied from 9 to 23 across survey years; users can determine whether unrelated household members were listed and the total number included for a given year by examining the questionnaire. Name, relationship, and date of birth items are generally transcribed from the Household Record Cards, documents that are completed before the interview begins. Items in the "Household Roster" can be easily found on the data file by searching for the word "Record."
Characteristics of household members
Although questions and universes have varied slightly across surveys, basic information about the age, relationship to the respondent, and labor force participation of members listed on the roster was collected each year. Information about educational status and attainment of family members was gathered in each year through 1985. Gender, while not reported in the roster before 1997, can usually be inferred from the relationship code; see the User Notes below for details. Table YW1 summarizes the survey years and universes for which the various types of information were collected.
Scroll right to view additional table columns.
| Survey year | Relationship to R | Age/date of birth (DoB) | Gender | Enrollment status | Highest grade attended (not enrolled members only) | Highest grade completed | Work last week? | Weeks worked last year | Usual hours per week worked | Occupation (if worked in past year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | F >= 6 | F >= 6 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1969 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1970 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1971 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1972 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1973 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | F 6-24 | F 6-24 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1975 | F | F age |
|
F 6-24 | n/a | n/a |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1977 | F | F both |
|
F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1978 | F | F DoB |
|
F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1980 | F | F both |
|
F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1982 | F | F both |
|
F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1983 | F | F both |
|
F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1985 | F | F both |
|
F >= 3 | F >= 3 | F >= 3 |
|
F >= 14 | F >= 14 | F >= 14 |
| 1987 | H | H age |
|
|
|
|
|
H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
| 1988 | H | H DoB |
|
|
|
|
|
H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
| 1991 | H | H both |
|
|
|
|
H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
| 1993 | H | H both |
|
|
|
|
H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
| 1995 | H | H both | H |
|
|
|
H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
|
| 1997 | H | H both | H |
|
|
|
H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
|
| 1999 | H | H both | H |
|
|
H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
|
| 2001 | H | H both | H |
|
|
H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
|
| 2003 | H | H both | H |
|
|
H >= 3 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 | H >= 14 |
|
Although unrelated household members were not included on the household roster until 1987, some information is available for 1978, 1982, 1983, and 1985. For the first three years, a second series of questions similar to the roster asked for the relationship, age, and sex of up to five unrelated household members. In 1985, an extended series of questions asked about the relationship; age; enrollment status, highest grade attended, and highest grade completed (for those age 3 and older); and number of weeks worked last year, usual number of hours worked per week, and occupation (for those age 14 and older). This series of questions also asked about the contributions of members age 14 and older to the household in terms of both financial support and help with household tasks.
Household residence
A very limited amount of information is available about the type of residence in which the respondent lived. The 1970-72 surveys asked how many rooms the respondent's dwelling had. In 1993-2003, the "Interviewer Remarks" section included a question about the type of dwelling, with answer categories such as detached house, apartment in building with or without elevator, trailer, etc.
Important information: Young Women family members
Beginning in 1993, most information on the respondent's husband is gathered in the main body of the questionnaire rather than the "Household Roster" section.
Relationship codes for family and household members have varied across survey years. From 1968-75, family members were given one of twelve codes identifying only direct relationships like spouse, children, parents, and siblings, with sex usually identified (e.g., son, daughter, other relative - male). Any other family members were simply coded as "other relative." In the mid-1970s, these household record variables were revised and expanded for the 1968-73 (but not 1975) survey years. Additional codes, with sex usually identified, included grandparents; children by marriage; adopted, step-, and foster children; partners; and boarders and other nonrelatives. The same expanded codes were used for the 1977-93 surveys. In 1995, codes with sex not identified were added for adopted, step-, and foster children; boarders; and partners.
Gender can be established by searching variable titles for the words "Record" and "Gender" in NLS Investigator.
Household identification and linkages
The sampling design used to select respondents often generated more than one NLS respondent from the same household. More than three-quarters of the respondents from the Young Women cohort shared the same household with at least one other respondent from the same or another cohort at the time the screening was performed (see Tables YW2 and YW3). To facilitate use of this unique aspect of NLS data, constructed variables link respondents sharing the same household at the time of the 1966 screening. (See variables R00003.00 to R00021.55).
| Household Type1 |
Older Men |
Mature Women |
Young Men |
Young Women |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Single Respondent |
3353 |
66.8% |
2509 |
49.4% |
1031 |
19.7% |
1018 |
19.7% |
| Multiple Respondents |
1667 |
33.2% |
2574 |
50.6% |
4194 |
80.3 |
4141 |
80.3% |
|
2 Respondent Households |
861 |
17.2% |
1347 |
26.5% |
1997 |
38.2 |
1887 |
36.6% |
|
3 Respondent Households |
477 |
9.5% |
775 |
15.2% |
1206 |
23.1 |
1216 |
23.6% |
|
4 Respondent Households |
234 |
4.7% |
311 |
6.1% |
650 |
12.4 |
625 |
12.1% |
|
5 Respondent Households |
71 |
1.4% |
115 |
2.3% |
264 |
5.1 |
288 |
5.6% |
|
6 Respondent Households |
17 |
0.3% |
21 |
0.4% |
49 |
0.9 |
83 |
1.6% |
|
7 Respondent Households |
5 |
0.1% |
3 |
0.1% |
21 |
0.4 |
32 |
0.6% |
|
8 Respondent Households |
1 |
<0.05% |
1 |
<0.05% |
1 |
<0.05 |
9 |
0.2% |
|
9 Respondent Households |
1 |
<0.05% |
1 |
<0.05% |
6 |
0.1 |
1 |
<0.05% |
| Total Respondents |
5020 |
100% |
5083 |
100% |
5225 |
100% |
5159 |
100% |
| 1 Household types for all cohorts are based on data gathered during the household screening. Reference numbers are R00003.00-R00021.00 (Older Men, Mature Women, and Young Men) and R00003.00-R00021.55 (Young Women). | ||||||||
| Household Type and Cohort(s)1 |
Older Men |
Mature Women |
Young Men |
Young Women |
Households |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Respondents |
5020 |
5083 |
5229 |
5159 |
12,827 |
|
| Single Respondent |
3353 |
|
|
|
3353 |
|
|
|
2509 |
|
|
2509 |
||
|
|
|
1031 |
|
1031 |
||
|
|
|
|
1018 |
1018 |
||
| Multiple Respondent | ||||||
| Intra-Cohort Respondents2,3 | ||||||
| Older Men |
91 |
|
|
|
43 |
|
| Mature Women |
|
74 |
|
|
36 |
|
| Young Men |
|
|
1697 |
|
786 |
|
| Young Women |
|
|
|
1645 |
743 |
|
| Inter-Cohort Respondents2,4 | ||||||
| OM-MW |
572 |
572 |
|
|
567 |
|
| OM-YM |
934 |
|
1167 |
|
931 |
|
| OM-YW |
843 |
|
|
1069 |
839 |
|
| MW-YM |
|
1415 |
1792 |
|
1406 |
|
| MW-YW |
|
1508 |
|
1957 |
1502 |
|
| YM-YW |
|
|
2253 |
2260 |
1880 |
|
| OM-MW-YM |
239 |
239 |
306 |
|
238 |
|
| OM-YM-YW |
402 |
|
513 |
519 |
401 |
|
| OM-MW-YW |
231 |
231 |
|
301 |
231 |
|
| MW-YM-YW |
|
618 |
786 |
799 |
614 |
|
| OM-MW-YM-YW |
122 |
122 |
159 |
160 |
122 |
|
| 1 All information on respondents residing in the same household is based on information collected at the 1966 screenings. Reference numbers include: R00003.00-R00021.00 (Older Men, Mature Women, and Young Men) and R00003.00-R00021.55 (Young Women). | ||||||
| 2 Categories are not mutually exclusive. For example, a household containing three Young Men and one Mature Woman would be included as an intra-cohort Young Men household as well as an inter-cohort Mature Women-Young Men household. | ||||||
| 3 The number of respondents from households in which at least two respondents from the same cohort resided together at the time of the 1966 screenings. | ||||||
| 4 The number of respondents from two or more cohorts who resided in the same household at the time of the 1966 screenings. Older Men is abbreviated OM, Mature Women is MW, Young Men is YM, and Young Women is YW. | ||||||
Variables specifying the dominant relationships (e.g., siblings, spouses, parents-children) are available within each Original Cohort data set. These variables provide the identification codes of other respondents originating from the same household by relationship and cohort, e.g., 'Identification Code of 1st Sister.' The following relationship linkages are available: spouses (Older Men and Mature Women, Young Men and Young Women), mothers and children (Mature Women and Young Women, Mature Women and Young Men), fathers and children (Older Men and Young Women, Older Men and Young Men), and siblings (Young Women and Young Men). Table MW4 above depicts the numbers and types of pairs that existed during the initial survey years among members of the four Original Cohorts.
NLS staff developed relationship codes based on a Census tape that included the identification numbers of all individuals who shared a household during the screening procedure. The following logic was used in assigning relationship codes: if a 47-year-old man from the Older Men cohort said he had a 38-year-old wife and a 38-year-old woman from the Mature Women cohort with the same household ID said she had a 47-year-old husband, husband-wife relationships were assigned. A one-year difference was allowed between the reported ages; three years of interview information were checked. Although these matches represent unique samples for a number of research topics, users should be aware that they typically include demographically non-representative matches. For example, father-daughter matches from the Older Men and Young Women Cohorts include fathers who were at least 45 years of age in 1966 and daughters who were no older than 24 in 1968.
Although other types of relationships may have existed, only spouse, sibling, or parent/child relationship codes were assigned. However, identification of other relationship types is possible through use of created variables (R00003.00 to R00021.00) that provide, by cohort, both the identification numbers of other respondents in the household (e.g., 'Identification Code of 1st Older Male in R's Household') and of the household ('Identification Code of R's Household'). To determine the nature of other relationships, users can match characteristics of household members from the first respondent's survey information (e.g., the age the first respondent claims for a cousin) with characteristics of household members on the second respondent's household roster (e.g., the age the second respondent claims for a cousin), as was done for the development of the relationships described above.
Note that phrases such as "Younger Female," "Older Male," etc., within the titles of the constructed variables refer to the cohort--not to the relative age to the respondent. For example, a 14-year-old male has a 17-year-old sister; both are respondents. On his record, she would be called a "Younger Female" because she is in the Young Women cohort.
| Survey Instruments & Documentation | Generally, information on the "Household Roster" was transcribed from the Household Record Cards. The "Household Roster" is located within the "Family Members," "Family Background," or "Household Members" sections of the questionnaires. |
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Important information: Young Women family relationships
Users are warned that the relationships were inferred from data on the public data files. Survey staff did not have access to detailed information from the Census Bureau (names, etc.) to confirm these linkages. Only "dominant" relationships were considered, as discussed above. While these pairings are believed to be fairly accurate, they and the matching algorithms may have been affected by, for example, misreporting of age in the "Household Roster." Once a family relationship was assigned, it was generally considered binding even if the household members lived separately. For instance, if the son of a mother/son pair left for college between the screening and the first interview, but a mother/son relationship could still be established based on information collected on the mother's "Household Roster" (for anyone away at college), a mother/son relationship was assigned. Similarly, if a husband/wife pair was divorced several years after the initial interview, this pair would still be linked as spouses. Data from the marital status variables would need to be used to update the relationship.
The data files for all four Original Cohorts include identification numbers for all other respondents in the household, which can be accessed by searching for the word "Identification" in NLS Investigator. However, the relationship of the other respondent is not always identified. While identification numbers of spouses in other cohorts are given for all four cohorts, only the Young Men and Young Women files include identification numbers for parent-child pairs. Therefore, for example, a mother-daughter relationship cannot be identified by looking at the Mature Women data file; users can only discover that a respondent in the Young Women's cohort lives in the same household. They must use the Young Women data files to discern whether that pair is a mother-daughter relationship.