Definition: Family nucleus

Category: Demography

The family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is between parents and children (Commission Regulation of 30 November 2009 on population and housing censuses).

A family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense as two or more persons within a private or institutional household who are related as husband and wife, as cohabiting partners, or as parent and child.  Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children (not necessarily common), or a lone parent with one or more children (Eurostat, "Guidelines for the Community programme of population and housing censuses in 2001). http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:329:0029:0068:EN:PDF Eurostat, "Guidelines for the Community programme of population and housing censuses in 2001