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 Viewbank, accounting for 65.5% (3,664 people). This share was lower than Banyule (C) (67.8%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 225 people and 3 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Viewbank - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

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

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Viewbank, with comparison markers for Banyule (C).

Viewbank
Banyule (C)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

1,795

% of total

32.1%

Change from 2016

-1.3pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

1,439

% of total

25.7%

Change from 2016

+1.6pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

332

% of total

5.9%

Change from 2016

-2.9pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

21

% of total

0.4%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

3,664

% of total

65.5%

Change from 2016

+3.0pp

Not Stated

2021 count

134

% of total

2.4%

Change from 2016

-1.8pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Viewbank. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Banyule (C).

Unpaid childcare for Viewbank. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Banyule (C).
Unpaid childcare for Viewbank. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Banyule (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Banyule (C)%Count%Banyule (C)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)1,79532.1%28.5%1,83733.4%29.4%-42-1.3pp
Cared For Own Child Ren1,43925.7%22.0%1,32524.1%21.0%+114+1.6pp
Cared For Other Child Ren3325.9%6.0%4838.8%7.7%-151-2.9pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren210.4%0.5%280.5%0.8%-7-0.1pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided3,66465.5%67.8%3,43962.5%64.4%+225+3.0pp
Not Stated1342.4%3.7%2294.2%6.2%-95-1.8pp
Total5,594100.0%100.0%5,506100.0%100.0%+880.0pp