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.

Key insight

In 2021, doing unpaid domestic work was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Christmas Island, accounting for 47.5% (668 people). This share was lower than Other Territories (59.1%).

Section overview

Unpaid domestic work

Christmas Island - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Christmas Island in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Other Territories and change since 2016.

Unpaid domestic work snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Christmas Island, with comparison markers for Other Territories.

Christmas Island
Other Territories

Did Unpaid Domestic Work

2021 count

668

% of total

47.5%

Change from 2016

-

Less Than 5 Hours

2021 count

198

% of total

14.1%

Change from 2016

-

Between 5 And 14 Hours

2021 count

275

% of total

19.6%

Change from 2016

-

Between 15 And 29 Hours

2021 count

116

% of total

8.3%

Change from 2016

-

30 Hours Or More

2021 count

79

% of total

5.6%

Change from 2016

-

Did No Unpaid Domestic Work

2021 count

309

% of total

22.0%

Change from 2016

-

Not Stated

2021 count

423

% of total

30.1%

Change from 2016

-

Data table

Unpaid domestic work for Christmas Island. Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Other Territories.

Unpaid domestic work for Christmas Island. Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Other Territories.
Unpaid domestic work for Christmas Island. Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Other Territories.
Category20212016Change
Count%Other Territories%Count%Other Territories%Countpp
Did Unpaid Domestic Work66847.5%59.1%--58.5%--
Less Than 5 Hours19814.1%15.8%--16.7%--
Between 5 And 14 Hours27519.6%24.2%--23.9%--
Between 15 And 29 Hours1168.3%11.0%--9.8%--
30 Hours Or More795.6%8.1%--8.1%--
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work30922.0%20.5%--20.5%--
Not Stated42330.1%20.4%--21.0%--
Total1,406100.0%100.0%--100.0%--