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 Forbes (A), accounting for 65.7% (4,905 people). This share was lower than Regional NSW (68.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 194 people and 3.1 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Forbes (A) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Forbes (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Forbes (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
4,905
% of total
65.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
4,905
65.7%
0.0pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
1,325
% of total
17.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,325
17.7%
-0.6pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
1,884
% of total
25.2%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
1,884
25.2%
+1.2pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
946
% of total
12.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
946
12.7%
+0.5pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
750
% of total
10.0%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
750
10.0%
-1.2pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
1,871
% of total
25.1%
Change from 2016
+3.1pp
1,871
25.1%
+3.1pp
Not Stated
2021 count
695
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
-3.2pp
695
9.3%
-3.2pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
-110
0.0pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-70
-0.6pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+50
+1.2pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+12
+0.5pp
30 Hours Or More
-102
-1.2pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+194
+3.1pp
Not Stated
-256
-3.2pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Forbes (A). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 4,905 | 65.7% | 68.6% | 5,015 | 65.7% | 69.2% | -110 | 0.0pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 1,325 | 17.7% | 18.5% | 1,395 | 18.3% | 19.6% | -70 | -0.6pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 1,884 | 25.2% | 27.3% | 1,834 | 24.0% | 26.1% | +50 | +1.2pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 946 | 12.7% | 13.3% | 934 | 12.2% | 13.0% | +12 | +0.5pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 750 | 10.0% | 9.5% | 852 | 11.2% | 10.5% | -102 | -1.2pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 1,871 | 25.1% | 23.9% | 1,677 | 22.0% | 20.5% | +194 | +3.1pp |
| Not Stated | 695 | 9.3% | 7.5% | 951 | 12.5% | 10.2% | -256 | -3.2pp |
| Total | 7,469 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,636 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -167 | 0.0pp |