Employment
Unpaid domestic work
About this topic
Unpaid domestic work measures how much time people aged 15 years and over spent doing housework for their household in the week before the Census. It helps show the distribution of unpaid labour that supports home and family life.
This topic is useful for understanding household roles, time pressures, and gender or life-stage differences in unpaid work. It is best read with household type, employment, and income, because the amount of unpaid domestic work can be shaped by family structure and the ability to outsource tasks.
Interpretation notes
- The hours refer to unpaid domestic work done for the person's household in the week before the Census.
- This topic does not measure childcare, disability care, or other unpaid help unless it falls within domestic work for the household.
Related topics
Key insight
In 2021, doing unpaid domestic work was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Ashburton (S), accounting for 55.4% (3,139 people). This share was lower than Regional WA (66.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not doing unpaid domestic work, which decreased by 3,298 people and 17.5 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Ashburton (S) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Ashburton (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Ashburton (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
3,139
% of total
55.4%
Change from 2016
+15.9pp
3,139
55.4%
+15.9pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
980
% of total
17.3%
Change from 2016
+3.3pp
980
17.3%
+3.3pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
1,243
% of total
21.9%
Change from 2016
+7.0pp
1,243
21.9%
+7.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
523
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
+4.0pp
523
9.2%
+4.0pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
393
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
393
6.9%
+1.5pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
1,333
% of total
23.5%
Change from 2016
-17.5pp
1,333
23.5%
-17.5pp
Not Stated
2021 count
1,204
% of total
21.2%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
1,204
21.2%
+1.6pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
-1,321
+15.9pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-605
+3.3pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
-440
+7.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
-63
+4.0pp
30 Hours Or More
-213
+1.5pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
-3,298
-17.5pp
Not Stated
-1,008
+1.6pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Ashburton (S). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 3,139 | 55.4% | 66.3% | 4,460 | 39.5% | 67.1% | -1,321 | +15.9pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 980 | 17.3% | 18.5% | 1,585 | 14.0% | 19.3% | -605 | +3.3pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 1,243 | 21.9% | 26.0% | 1,683 | 14.9% | 25.0% | -440 | +7.0pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 523 | 9.2% | 11.9% | 586 | 5.2% | 12.0% | -63 | +4.0pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 393 | 6.9% | 9.8% | 606 | 5.4% | 10.9% | -213 | +1.5pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 1,333 | 23.5% | 22.1% | 4,631 | 41.0% | 20.0% | -3,298 | -17.5pp |
| Not Stated | 1,204 | 21.2% | 11.6% | 2,212 | 19.6% | 12.9% | -1,008 | +1.6pp |
| Total | 5,670 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 11,305 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -5,635 | 0.0pp |