UK Data Service

Catalogue

UK Data Service data catalogue record for:

National Child Development Study: Partnership Histories, 1974-2008

Title details

SN: 6940
Title: National Child Development Study: Partnership Histories, 1974-2008
Alternative title: NCDS
Persistent identifier: 10.5255/UKDA-SN-6940-1
Series: National Child Development Study, 1958-
Depositor(s): University of London. Institute of Education. Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Principal investigator(s): University of London. Institute of Education. Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Sponsor(s): Economic and Social Research Council
Other acknowledgements: This dataset was created by Maggie Hancock with contributions from Jane Elliott, Jon Johnson and Erzsebet Bukodi, all of University of London. Institute of Education. Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

Subject Categories

National Child Development Study - Major studies
Family life and marriage - Social stratification and groupings

Abstract

Data on live-in relationships lasting one month or more have been collected in all National Child Development Study: Partnership Histories (NCDS) sweeps from sweep 5 (age 33). The purpose of the National Child Development Study: Partnership Histories, 1974-2008 is to merge all data on live-in relationships in successive sweeps into one longitudinal dataset. The focus of the questions asked at each sweep are about the relationship start date; whether married/became civil partner (sweep 8 and later) to this partner and if so the marriage/civil partnership dates; whether still together with this partner and if not the date that the relationship ended; how the relationship ended; if relevant whether divorced and divorce dates; the sex, marital status and age at start of relationship of the partner.

A partnership histories dataset was previously created (Kallis, 2005) (available from the UK Data Archive under SN 5217) and used for the analysis of the link between partnership and childbearing processes (Steele, 2007). This previous partnership history included data for women up to sweep 6 only. Additionally overlapping partnerships and cohort members with same sex partnerships were omitted from the dataset and the dataset variables did not include data on partner attributes or divorce.
Main Topics:
The study includes two datasets:
  • NCDS Partnership dataset: One record is recorded for each partnership. Cohabitation transformed into marriage is recorded as two separate partnerships
  • NCDS Partner dataset: One record is recorded for each partner. A cohabitation which has transformed into marriage is treated as one partner

Coverage, universe, methodology

Dates of fieldwork: 1974, 2008
Country: Great Britain
Spatial units: No spatial unit
Observation units: Individuals
Kind of data: Numeric
Universe: National
Adults in Great Britain born in one particular week in March 1958.
Time dimensions: Longitudinal/panel/cohort
Sampling procedures: No sampling (total universe)
Number of units: 31,437 partnerships records; 24,948 partner records
Method of data collection: Compilation or synthesis of existing material
Weighting: No weighting used.

Keywords

COHABITATIONCOHABITINGDIVORCE
GENDERGREAT BRITAINMARITAL HISTORY
MARITAL STATUSMARRIAGEMARRIAGE DISSOLUTION
PARTNERSHIPS (PERSONAL)SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPSSPOUSES
SPOUSE'S AGE

Administrative and access information

Date of release:
First edition: 25 January 2012
Copyright: Copyright Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Access conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage.
Additional special conditions of use also apply. See terms and conditions of access for further information.
Availability: UK Data Service
Contact: Get in touch

Documentation

TitleFile NameSize (KB)
CLS Confidentiality and Data Security Review cls_confidentiality_and_data_security_review.pdf 49
Unclassified ncds_partnership_histories.pdf 264
Study information and citation UKDA_Study_6940_Information.htm 17
READ File read6940.htm 10

Related studies:

Social Consequences of Unemployment, 1964-1971 (SN 1858)
Warnock Study of Handicapped School Leavers, 1976 (SN 2024)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 4 Feasibility Study and Tobacco Research Council Study, 1978 (SN 2025)
National Child Development Study: Teaching Sets, 1958-1981 (SN 2364)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 5 Parent Migration Dataset, 1991 (SN 4324)
National Child Development Study: 37-Year Sample Survey, 1995 (SN 4992)
National Child Development Study: Sweeps 5-6 Partnership Histories, 1974-2000 (SN 5217)
National Child Development Study Response and Deaths Dataset, 1958-2009 (SN 5560)
National Child Development Study: Childhood Data, Sweeps 0-3, 1958-1974 (SN 5565)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 4, 1981, and Public Examination Results, 1978 (SN 5566)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 5, 1991 (SN 5567)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 6, 1999-2000 (SN 5578)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 7, 2004-2005 (SN 5579)
National Child Development Study: Employment Histories, 1974-2000 (SN 5600)
National Child Development Study: Sample of Essays (Sweep 2, Age 11), 1969 (SN 5790)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 8, 2008-2009 (SN 6137)
Social Participation and Identity, 2007-2010: Combining Quantitative Longitudinal Data with a Qualitative Investigation of a Sub-Sample of the 1958 National Child Development Study (SN 6691)
National Child Development Study: Understanding Individual Behaviour, 2010 (SN 6752)
National Child Development Study: Activity Histories, 1974-2008 (SN 6942)
National Child Development Study: Sweep 8, 2008-2009: Imagine You are 60 (SN 6978)
Perinatal Mortality Survey, 1958 (SN 2137)
Permanent Parental Income Dataset, 1958-1974 (SN 4128)
Multilevel Event History Analysis Training Datasets, 2003-2005 (SN 5171)
Misreported Schooling and Returns to Education, 1958-1991 (SN 5471)
British Cohort Studies Teaching Dataset for Higher Education, 1958-2000 (SN 5805)
Exploring Data, Second Edition: Teaching Datasets, 1958-2005 (SN 6096)
National Child Development Study: Sweeps 1-6, 1958-2000, Self-Reported Measures (SN 6760)
Occupational Coding for the National Child Development Study (1969, 1991-2008) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (1980, 2000-2008) (SN 7023)

Related case studies:

Do comprehensive schools reduce social mobility?
Does being left-handed or right-handed affect academic ability?
Adult education and its effect on heart disease
Does childhood poverty affect respiratory health in mid-life?

Related support guides:

Guide to the National Child Development Study

Publications

A searchable bibliography may be found on the Publications page of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies website.

Kallis, C. (2005) CLS Cohort Studies Data Note 5: partnership histories in NCDS5 and NCDS6, Centre for Multilevel Modelling, Bedford Group for Lifecourse and Statistical Studies, Institute of Education, University of London.

Steele, F. et al. (2005) 'The relationship between childbearing and transitions from marriage and cohabitation in Britain', Demography,42.

Steele, F. et al. (2005) 'Changes in the relationship between the outcomes of cohabiting partnerships and fertility among young British women: evidence from the 1958 and 1970 Birth Cohort Studies', paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America, Philadelphia, 2005.

Variables

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