15. What was this person doing most of last week: working, keeping house, or something else? (
Wk, H, Ot, or
Ufor unable to work)
Item 15. What was this person doing most of last week?
136. Item 15. Codes for activity last week.-Enter "Wk" for working, "H" for keeping house, "U" for unable to work, "Ot" for other, or "Inmate" (see par. 134), in item 15. An entry must be made for each person 14 years of age and over.
137. Time period covered by item 15.-"Last week" the calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) before the week during which you are enumerating.
138. Definition of working (Wk).-For the census, working includes all kinds of work that people do to earn a living for themselves and their families or to earn spending money.
a. Count as work:
1. Paid work as an employee for someone else. This includes work for pay "in kind" (meals, living quarters, or supplies received in place of cash wages), work at piece rates, on commission, or for tips. Persons in the armed forces are working for pay.
2. Working for yourself in your business or professional practice or in farming.
3. Unpaid work, including chores, that contribute to the operation of a farm or business or profession run by a member of the same household who is a relative either by blood, marriage, or adoption (for example, keeping books in father's store without pay). Unpaid work on the family farm includes feeding chickens, cattle, or other livestock, milking cows, and any other chores done in connection with the cultivation, harvesting, threshing, preparation for market, or delivery to market of any agricultural product.
b. Do not count as work:
1.Work around the house, such as home housework, odd jobs of upkeep or repair on your house (cutting grass, painting porch, etc.).
2. Volunteer and unpaid work for church, Red Cross, etc.
3. Unpaid work for member of the family who is a person working for wages or salary, such as typing for husband who is a lawyer for a corporation.
4. Unpaid work for a person who is not related, such as work in the retail store of a lodger.
5. Unpaid work for a relative not a household member, for example, unpaid work in the beauty shop of a sister who lives in another household.
139.
Definition of keeping house (H).-Count as keeping house: own housework, taking care of own children, cooking for own family, management of one's home, responsibility for care of one's home. A housewife on a short vacation or temporarily ill all last week is still considered as "keeping house" as long as she is responsible for the care of her home. More than one person in a household may be engaged in keeping house. Do not count as keeping house paid housework in someone else's home, which is considered work. (
See par. 138a.)
140. Definition of unable to work (U).-Count as unable to work a person who, because of his own long-term physical or mental illness or disability, is unable to do any kind of "work" as defined under "working." Long-term physical or mental illness includes such conditions as blindness loss of limbs, serious heart trouble, tuberculosis, mental disorders.
Note that this code is not confined to older persons. It is applicable to both young and old persons of both sexes. It should not be used, however, for an elderly person who is able to work but believes he is too old to find work. Do not count an elderly person as unable to work unless he is suffering from a definite illness or disability of long duration.
Do not count as unable to work a person who is only temporarily ill or disabled and who expects to be able to work within 6 months from the time of enumeration.
141. Examples of "something else" (Ot).-Count as "something else" activities other than the above, such as: attending school, being temporarily ill, or taking a vacation from a job (except housewives-see par. 139), retired, etc.
142. More than one activity. If a person had more than one activity last week, report the one he considers most important. If he cannot decide, report the one at which he spent the most time last week.