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.
Related topics
Key insight
In 2021, not providing unpaid child care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Christmas Island, accounting for 50.6% (711 people). This share was lower than Other Territories (57.6%).
Section overview
Unpaid childcare
Christmas Island - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid childcare for Christmas Island in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Other Territories and change since 2016.
Chart view
Unpaid childcare snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Christmas Island, with comparison markers for Other Territories.
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)
2021 count
271
% of total
19.3%
Change from 2016
-
271
19.3%
-
Cared For Own Child Ren
2021 count
218
% of total
15.5%
Change from 2016
-
218
15.5%
-
Cared For Other Child Ren
2021 count
38
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-
38
2.7%
-
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren
2021 count
7
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
7
0.5%
-
No Unpaid Child Care Provided
2021 count
711
% of total
50.6%
Change from 2016
-
711
50.6%
-
Not Stated
2021 count
425
% of total
30.2%
Change from 2016
-
425
30.2%
-
Unpaid childcare change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Data table
Unpaid childcare for Christmas Island. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Other Territories.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Other Territories% | Count | % | Other Territories% | Count | pp | |
| Provided Unpaid Child Care (All) | 271 | 19.3% | 22.1% | - | - | 22.8% | - | - |
| Cared For Own Child Ren | 218 | 15.5% | 14.9% | - | - | 16.4% | - | - |
| Cared For Other Child Ren | 38 | 2.7% | 6.0% | - | - | 5.8% | - | - |
| Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren | 7 | 0.5% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| No Unpaid Child Care Provided | 711 | 50.6% | 57.6% | - | - | 57.3% | - | - |
| Not Stated | 425 | 30.2% | 20.5% | - | - | 19.9% | - | - |
| Total | 1,406 | 100.0% | 100.0% | - | - | 100.0% | - | - |