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 Edmonton, accounting for 62.6% (5,421 people). This share was lower than Cairns (R) (65.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 632 people and 5.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Edmonton - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Edmonton in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Edmonton, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
5,421
% of total
62.6%
Change from 2016
-7.1pp
5,421
62.6%
-7.1pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
1,577
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
1,577
18.2%
-2.7pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
2,121
% of total
24.5%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
2,121
24.5%
-2.3pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
983
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
983
11.4%
-0.5pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
740
% of total
8.5%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
740
8.5%
-1.6pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
2,278
% of total
26.3%
Change from 2016
+5.4pp
2,278
26.3%
+5.4pp
Not Stated
2021 count
950
% of total
11.0%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
950
11.0%
+1.6pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
-77
-7.1pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-73
-2.7pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+4
-2.3pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+47
-0.5pp
30 Hours Or More
-55
-1.6pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+632
+5.4pp
Not Stated
+205
+1.6pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Edmonton. Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cairns (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 5,421 | 62.6% | 65.3% | 5,498 | 69.7% | 68.3% | -77 | -7.1pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 1,577 | 18.2% | 19.7% | 1,650 | 20.9% | 21.2% | -73 | -2.7pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 2,121 | 24.5% | 27.1% | 2,117 | 26.8% | 27.6% | +4 | -2.3pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 983 | 11.4% | 11.1% | 936 | 11.9% | 11.1% | +47 | -0.5pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 740 | 8.5% | 7.5% | 795 | 10.1% | 8.4% | -55 | -1.6pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 2,278 | 26.3% | 24.8% | 1,646 | 20.9% | 20.3% | +632 | +5.4pp |
| Not Stated | 950 | 11.0% | 9.9% | 745 | 9.4% | 11.4% | +205 | +1.6pp |
| Total | 8,655 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,888 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +767 | 0.0pp |