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.

Key insight

In 2021, not providing unpaid child care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Benaraby, accounting for 61.7% (563 people). This share was lower than Gladstone (R) (62.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 65 people and 7.2 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Benaraby - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Benaraby in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Gladstone (R) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Benaraby, with comparison markers for Gladstone (R).

Benaraby
Gladstone (R)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

296

% of total

32.4%

Change from 2016

-3.9pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

239

% of total

26.2%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

50

% of total

5.5%

Change from 2016

-2.7pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

9

% of total

1.0%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

563

% of total

61.7%

Change from 2016

+7.2pp

Not Stated

2021 count

51

% of total

5.6%

Change from 2016

-3.5pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Benaraby. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Gladstone (R).

Unpaid childcare for Benaraby. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Gladstone (R).
Unpaid childcare for Benaraby. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Gladstone (R).
Category20212016Change
Count%Gladstone (R)%Count%Gladstone (R)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)29632.4%29.3%33136.3%31.7%-35-3.9pp
Cared For Own Child Ren23926.2%21.7%23826.1%24.0%+1+0.1pp
Cared For Other Child Ren505.5%6.5%758.2%6.6%-25-2.7pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren91.0%1.1%182.0%1.1%-9-1.0pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided56361.7%62.6%49854.5%59.3%+65+7.2pp
Not Stated515.6%8.1%839.1%9.0%-32-3.5pp
Total913100.0%100.0%913100.0%100.0%00.0pp