Introduction

Part of the Family Structure group of Concepts, Marriage discusses the definition and data methodology for specifying Marriage between two people, and the start and end dates of this relationship.

Definition and additional background information

Marriage as a legal concept has a fairly strict definition with clearly defined starting and end points.

One population-level source of Marriage information at MCHP is the Manitoba Health Insurance Registry. Marriages as defined by the Registry come with some limitations as described below.

Marriage defined by the Registry

A Marriage as determined by the Registry is defined as a period of joint registration under the same Family Registry number (REGNO) as Family Head and Legal Spouse. The definition is not limited to heterosexual marriages.

Although many projects have used this method as a proxy for Marriage, it has several important limitations which must be kept in mind when using it in this way. See Cautions / Limitations below.

Methods

1. Marriage as defined by the Manitoba Health Insurance Registry (the Registry): Two people jointly registered under the same Family Registration number (REGNO) as Family head (RELCODE = ‘1’) and Legal Spouse (RELCODE = ‘2’).
   
   The earliest date of the joint registration is taken to be the start of the marriage.
   
   The end of the marriage occurs at the earliest of:
   
   
   • Death of one or both spouses.
     
   • Cancellation of coverage of one spouse. **
     
   • Change in REGNO of one or both spouses.
   
   Marriage is an individual characteristic, so the change in marital status affects both spouses simultaneously.

   ** End of joint registration for reasons other than death may not indicate end of marriage. See Cautions / Limitations below.

SAS® Code

The %RegRelation() SAS® macro defines start and end dates of marriages, subject to the limitations described below.

%RegRelation(cohort)

In the ALLREL file, select RELTYPE=’Spouse - Male’ or ‘Spouse - Female’. The variables SPRDT and SPEDT specify the joint registration start and end dates, respectively.

Spouse of the cohort member is specified by the RELPHIN variable. All marriages recorded the Registry will be found. If both members of a marriage are in the cohort, each will be the spouse of the other, with identical SPRDT and SPEDT values.

Cautions/Limitations

• End of joint registration for reasons other than death may not indicate end of union. In the case of one spouse entering the military, RCMP or correctional institution, Registry coverage ends. Marriage may be assumed to continue unless divorce is confirmed by a Certificate of Divorce issued by a Family Court.
  
• Marriage is self-reported in the Registry (MHIR). It can only be specified in the Registry for two people registering as Family Head and Spouse under the same family registration number (REGNO).
  
• The dates of registration as Spouse are also self-reported. As such, determining duration of marriage may be inaccurate if the dissolution of a marriage is not reflected in registration status.
  
• For newcomers (couples from other provinces or countries), the start date of marriage is not known and the date of the registration in the MHIR and not the date of marriage outside of Manitoba might be used with this limitation in mind.
  
• Marriages determined by the Registry undercount true marriages. Some marriages may not be recorded if the partners did not notify Manitoba Health and their REGNO was changed to reflect the change in marital status
  
• Children born to a mother not in a marriage or common-law union are not able to be associated with a father: dependent children born to a mother not in a marriage or common law union do not have a male Family Head.