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 Ballarat (C), accounting for 70.3% (64,998 people). This share was higher than Regional Vic. (69.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 6,801 people, while its share fell by 0.5 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Ballarat (C) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Ballarat (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Vic. and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Ballarat (C), with comparison markers for Regional Vic..
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
64,998
% of total
70.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
64,998
70.3%
-0.5pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
18,496
% of total
20.0%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
18,496
20.0%
-1.9pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
26,437
% of total
28.6%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
26,437
28.6%
+1.7pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
11,793
% of total
12.8%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
11,793
12.8%
+0.6pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
8,272
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
8,272
8.9%
-0.9pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
22,015
% of total
23.8%
Change from 2016
+3.1pp
22,015
23.8%
+3.1pp
Not Stated
2021 count
5,416
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
5,416
5.9%
-2.6pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+6,801
-0.5pp
Less Than 5 Hours
+517
-1.9pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+4,302
+1.7pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+1,749
+0.6pp
30 Hours Or More
+233
-0.9pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+4,956
+3.1pp
Not Stated
-1,548
-2.6pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Ballarat (C). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Vic..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 64,998 | 70.3% | 69.2% | 58,197 | 70.8% | 69.2% | +6,801 | -0.5pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 18,496 | 20.0% | 18.5% | 17,979 | 21.9% | 19.9% | +517 | -1.9pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 26,437 | 28.6% | 27.3% | 22,135 | 26.9% | 25.8% | +4,302 | +1.7pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 11,793 | 12.8% | 13.4% | 10,044 | 12.2% | 12.9% | +1,749 | +0.6pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 8,272 | 8.9% | 10.0% | 8,039 | 9.8% | 10.7% | +233 | -0.9pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 22,015 | 23.8% | 23.4% | 17,059 | 20.7% | 20.3% | +4,956 | +3.1pp |
| Not Stated | 5,416 | 5.9% | 7.5% | 6,964 | 8.5% | 10.5% | -1,548 | -2.6pp |
| Total | 92,434 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 82,219 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +10,215 | 0.0pp |