3 Making couple files

Matching couples in households is a straightforward matter of checking wHGSPN, the spouse number from the household grid¹(see the start of the household questionnaire at page 6 of http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/ulsc/bhps/doc/bhpsw1q.pdf to see how the household grid is structured).

wHGSPN is in wINDRESP inter alia: load it along with some variables of substantive interest (choose other variables according to your interests).

get file = "s:\bhps\spss\aindresp.sav"
      /keep = ahid ahgspn ajbsemp ajbft asex.

select if (ahgspn gt 0).
sort cases by ahid ahgspn.

save out="m:\spinfo.sav"
          /rename=(ahgspn ajbsemp ajbft asex
                    = apno aspjbsem aspjbft aspsex).

This is now a file of PIDs and spouses' characteristics: match it back.

get file = "s:\bhps\spss\aindresp.sav"
      /keep = ahid apno ahgspn ajbsemp ajbft asex.

match files file = *
           /file = "m:\spinfo.sav" /by=ahid apno.

Examine this file, and conduct some simple analysis (e.g., crosstabs) of the relationships between spouses' statuses. If you have chosen your variables well you should be able to make some interesting analyses.

Stata code:

use ahid ahgspn ajbsemp ajbft asex using s:\bhps\stata\aindresp
keep  if ahgspn > 0
rename ahgspn  apno
rename ajbsemp aspjbsem
rename ajbft   aspjbft 
rename asex    aspsex  

sort ahid apno

save m:\spinfo, replace

use ahid apno ahgspn ajbsemp ajbft asex using s:\bhps\stata\aindresp
sort ahid apno
merge ahid apno using m:\spinfo