Marital Status

Marital status is a basic socio-demographic characteristic of people, which covers biological, social, economic, legal and, in many cases, religious aspects. The composition of  the population according  to this variable is the result of three vital events. The first is the relatively Permanente union of two people of opposed sex with the purpose of forming a family. When the union has a legal nature, it is called marriage of matrimony, and when it is a de facto union it is referred to as a marital union. It should be noted that in Mozambique, the marital union involves an agreement between the families of the two partners; in this sense, it cannot be regarded as a simple consensual union, but as a traditional marriage. The second event is the dissolution of the union by the decision of one or both of the partners. When the dissolution is by law it is called divorce, and when it is de facto, it is called separation. The third event is the death of one of the partners. The surviving partner is the widow or widower. These events permanently change the distribution of people by their marital status.