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Una versió d'aquest document es publicarà a la revista Diálogos Latinoamericanos. En los últimos años se ha registrado un considerable aumento del número de países de América Latina que han incorporado a sus cuestionarios censales preguntas que permiten registrar con mayor rigor la complejidad de la participación femenina en la actividad económica. La mejora en la captación de este tipo de información ha permitido en algunos países equiparar los datos censales de actividad a los obtenidos a partir de las encuestas de empleo diseñadas para su estudio específico. Uno de los principales aspectos que tradicionalmente han complicado el registro de la participación de la mujer en la actividad económica está asociado a la propia definición de actividad económica y a la distinción entre la actividad doméstica y la estrictamente remunerada. El artículo repasa la forma cómo los países de América Latina han preguntado sobre este tema en las rondas censales de 1990 y 2000, y ahonda sobre la incorporación de una única pregunta que registre de forma más precisa la actividad económica femenina secundaria y que permita superar las limitaciones tan criticadas de los cuestionarios censales convencionales. En els darrers anys s'ha registrat un considerable augment en el nombre de països d'Amèrica Llatina que han incorporat als qüestionaris censals preguntes que permeten registrar amb més rigor la complexitat de la participació femenina a l'activitat econòmica. La millora en la captació d'aquest tipus d'informació ha permès en alguns països equiparar les dades censals d'activitat als obtinguts a partir de les enquestes de treball dissenyades per un estudi específic. Un dels principals aspectes que tradicionalment han complicat el registre de la participació de la dona en l'activitat econòmica està associat a la pròpia definició d'activitat econòmica i a la distinció entre l'activitat domèstica i l'estrictament remunerada. L'article repassa la forma com els països d'Amèrica Llatina han preguntat sobre aquest tema a les rondes censals de 1990 i 2000, i aprofundeix sobre la incorporació d'una única pregunta que registri de forma més acurada l'activitat econòmica femenina secundària i que permeti superar les limitacions tan criticades als qüestionaris censals convencionals. In recent years a significant increase has been recorded in the number of Latin American countries incorporating questions to their census questionnaires permitting the registration with greater thoroughness of the complexity of the feminine participation in the economic activity. The improvement in the capture of this type of information has permitted in some countries to equate the activity census data to those obtained from the employment polls designed for their research. One of the main aspects that have traditionally complicated the record of women participation in economic activity is associated to the definition itself of economic activities and the distinction between domestic activities and the strictly remunerated. In many cases, the woman, besides being responsible for domestic shores, actively participates in other economic activities, a phenomenon hardly detectable in conventional census questionnaires. This study aims at compiling the different approaches that Latin American countries have developed on their censuses to capture female activity in the 1990 and 2000 rounds, and it probes on the incorporation of a single question that records in a more precise way the secondary feminine economic activity and permits overcoming the much criticized limitations of the conventional census questionnaires.

IPUMS-International www.ipums.org/international disseminates harmonized census microdata for more than 80 countries at no cost, although access is restricted to bona-fide researchers and students who agree to the stringent conditions of use license. Currently over 270 samples are available, totalling more than 600 million person records. Each year 15–20 additional samples are released, as more countries cooperate with the IPUMS initiative and the integration of 2010 round census samples is completed. With so much microdata so readily available, questions of data quality naturally arise. This paper focusses on the concept of statistical coherence over time for a single concept, primary schooling completed. From an analysis of the percentage completing primary schooling by birth year for pairs of samples for thirteen Asia-Pacific countries, we find outstanding coherence for four—China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Indonesia—with mean differences of less than 0.5 percentage points, regression coefficient (b) ranging from 0.93 to 1.07 and R2 =.99. For the thirteen countries as a group there is considerable variation overall with mean absolute difference as high as 16 percentage points, b ranging from 0.62–1.44 and R2=.65–.99. As a whole, statistical coherence of primary schooling is outstanding. Nonetheless, to make expert use of the harmonized microdata, researchers are cautioned to carefully study the IPUMS integrated metadata as well as the original source documentation. National Statistical Offices not currently cooperating or that have not yet entrusted 2010 round census microdata are invited to do so.

This article studies three important issues regarding the method used by Woodrow Borah and S.F. Cook for the evaluation of the population size in Mexico and Latin America, namely the nature and composition of the old rural nahua (aztec) family. To that end a documentary source is used here —the Libros de Tributo— which was not used by the said authors due to the fact that they had no command of the nahuatl language, while no complete translation or transcription of this document was available at the time. It is argued here that the Old Mexico nahuas lived in big homes of extended families (calli). This thesis was supported by Borah and Cook, but was not taken into account within the wide field of the History of the Family, in particular the way it was developed by the Cambridge University’s «Laslett school».Este artículo trata cuestiones de importancia para el método de estimación del tamaño de la población de México y América Latina empleado por Woodrow Borah y S.F. Cook, la naturaleza y composición de la antigua familia rural nahua (azteca). En este trabajo se emplea una fuente, los «Libros de Tributo», que ellos no trabajaron debido simplemente a que no eran hábiles lectores de náhuatl y no se contaba aún con ninguna transcripción ni traducción completa de este documento. En este artículo se argumenta que los nahuas del México Antiguo vivieron en hogares (calli) grandes, de familias extendidas; una tesis largamente sostenida por Borah y Cook, pero que no fue tomada en cuenta dentro del amplio campo de la historia de la familia, particularmente como ha sido desarrollada por la «escuela Laslett» de la Universidad de Cambridge.

This paper analyzes 24 African census samples from 13 countries available via the African Integrated Census MicroData website to illustrate how microdata may be used to assess development and pinpoint basic human needs at local administrative levels over time. We calculate a Human Development Index-like measure for small administrative areas, where much of the responsibility lies for executing policies related to health, education and general well-being. The methodological proposals introduced in this paper are particularly pertinent for the case of Africa. While it is true that data for much of Africa is not appropriate for economic growth rates or per-capita income estimates, the analysis in this paper demonstrates that they are good enough for many other purposes. Indeed, a major aggravating problem that contributes to the "African statistical tragedy" is the lack of accessibility to existing census microdata. This paper aims to illustrate the usefulness of census microdata-which are vastly under-utilized in Africa-and hopefully contribute to make them more transparent and freely accessible.