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 Darwin Waterfront Precinct, accounting for 76.6% (209 people). This share was higher than Greater Darwin (62.4%).
Section overview
Unpaid childcare
Darwin Waterfront Precinct - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid childcare for Darwin Waterfront Precinct in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Darwin and change since 2016.
Unpaid childcare snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Darwin Waterfront Precinct, with comparison markers for Greater Darwin.
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)
2021 count
45
% of total
16.5%
Change from 2016
-
45
16.5%
-
Cared For Own Child Ren
2021 count
28
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
-
28
10.3%
-
Cared For Other Child Ren
2021 count
16
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-
16
5.9%
-
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren
2021 count
0
% of total
0.0%
Change from 2016
-
0
0.0%
-
No Unpaid Child Care Provided
2021 count
209
% of total
76.6%
Change from 2016
-
209
76.6%
-
Not Stated
2021 count
18
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
-
18
6.6%
-
Chart view
Unpaid childcare change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Data table
Unpaid childcare for Darwin Waterfront Precinct. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Darwin.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Darwin% | Count | % | Greater Darwin% | Count | pp | |
| Provided Unpaid Child Care (All) | 45 | 16.5% | 27.0% | - | - | 26.7% | - | - |
| Cared For Own Child Ren | 28 | 10.3% | 20.2% | - | - | 20.4% | - | - |
| Cared For Other Child Ren | 16 | 5.9% | 5.9% | - | - | 5.6% | - | - |
| Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren | 0 | 0.0% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| No Unpaid Child Care Provided | 209 | 76.6% | 62.4% | - | - | 59.5% | - | - |
| Not Stated | 18 | 6.6% | 10.6% | - | - | 13.8% | - | - |
| Total | 273 | 100.0% | 100.0% | - | - | 100.0% | - | - |