Employment

Unpaid childcare

About this topic

Unpaid childcare records whether people aged 15 years and over spent time looking after a child without pay, including their own children and other people's children. It reflects the role of parents, grandparents, extended family, and community networks in caring for children.

This topic helps show how childcare is supported outside the paid care sector and can highlight the role of family-based care. It is best interpreted with household type, employment, and income, because unpaid childcare patterns are shaped by family structure, work arrangements, and access to formal childcare.

Interpretation notes

  • This records unpaid childcare in the previous two weeks for people aged 15 years and over, including care for a person's own children and other children.
  • It identifies whether childcare was provided, not the number of hours or whether care was regular, occasional, or shared with formal services.

Key insight

In 2021, not providing unpaid child care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Mount Melville, accounting for 69.5% (602 people). This share was higher than Albany (C) (67.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 593 people and 9.5 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Mount Melville - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Mount Melville in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Albany (C) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Mount Melville, with comparison markers for Albany (C).

Mount Melville
Albany (C)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

211

% of total

24.4%

Change from 2016

-2.3pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

151

% of total

17.4%

Change from 2016

-2.6pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

61

% of total

7.0%

Change from 2016

+7.0pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

5

% of total

0.6%

Change from 2016

+0.6pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

602

% of total

69.5%

Change from 2016

+9.5pp

Not Stated

2021 count

50

% of total

5.8%

Change from 2016

+5.8pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Mount Melville. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Albany (C).

Unpaid childcare for Mount Melville. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Albany (C).
Unpaid childcare for Mount Melville. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Albany (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Albany (C)%Count%Albany (C)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)21124.4%25.5%426.7%26.2%+207-2.3pp
Cared For Own Child Ren15117.4%17.7%320.0%18.5%+148-2.6pp
Cared For Other Child Ren617.0%6.8%00.0%6.8%+61+7.0pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren50.6%1.0%00.0%0.9%+5+0.6pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided60269.5%67.3%960.0%64.1%+593+9.5pp
Not Stated505.8%7.2%00.0%9.6%+50+5.8pp
Total866100.0%100.0%15100.0%100.0%+8510.0pp