Every modern Census has come with a ‘Definitions’ volume to explain technical terms and show how questions on the census form translate into outputs in the census data.
1981 census definitions front cover
Here are just a few examples we’ve discovered of uk rcs data how census definitions and concepts have changed since the 1971 census.
1971: The Housewife
Even though there was no specific question asked to identify the role of a ‘housewife’ in the 1971 Census, rules were created to try to identify which member of the family occupied the role, which you can see in the 1971 Definitions:
Image of text of 1971 definition of housewife
Figure 1: Definition of ‘housewife’ in 1971 Census.
This definition says a lot about the traditional family, and the social construction of the family household, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
That the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS, the forerunner of the current Office for National Statistics – ONS) felt the role should be identified and reported indicates the importance of domestic duty and identity at the time.
It is also interesting to see that the above rules were developed in association with a number of advertising/market research groups Were they perhaps keen to identify markets for washing up powder, groceries or floor cleaner?
There is a set of assumptions here about gender politics, which are no longer explored in the census. This is a good example of how the census must carefully balance continuity and change, as Professor David Martin explored earlier this week.