What are the various marital status types?

Emphasis is placed on the presence of legal sanction of the association:

1. Never married

This category covers all individuals 15 years or older who have never been married.

2. Married

This includes all persons legally married, regardless of whether the person is married for the first time or remarried. A person living apart from, though not legally separated from, his or her marital partner is to be recorded as married.

3. Widowed

This covers all persons legally married whose partners have died.

4. Divorced

This refers to all persons whose marriages have been dissolved by legal proceedings to decree absolute.

5. Legally Separated

The official term for this is judicial separation.  It applies to a married couple living apart under a decree of a court or deed of separation; that is, they have signed an agreement outlining the terms of their separation.