Interviewer instructions
4.13 Survivorship and residence of natural parents: only for persons less than 18 years old
For all children who are younger than 18 years old, we want to know whether their natural parent(s) is (are) alive and in the Household. This information will be used to measure the prevalence of orphanhood and child fostering and to identify vulnerable children in the population.
P-20 to P23: Is [the respondent's] biological mother alive?
First, ask whether the child's biological mother is alive. By "biological" we mean the natural mother, that is, the woman who gave birth to the child. In many cultures, people consider other people's children whom they are raising as their own, especially children of their husband or sisters, etc. So you should be certain that the respondent understands that you are asking about the child's biological mother.
If the mother is still alive shade code 1, and ask the question that follows. If the mother is 'not alive' or the respondent does not know, shade the appropriate code and skip to P22.
Follow the same procedure for P22 to P23 for the child's biological father. If the father is 'not alive' or the respondent does not know, shade the appropriate code and skip to P24.
