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 Gold Coast (C), accounting for 67.3% (346,548 people). This share was higher than Regional Qld (67.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 33,829 people, while its share fell by 1.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Gold Coast (C) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Gold Coast (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Gold Coast (C), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
346,548
% of total
67.3%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
346,548
67.3%
-1.4pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
107,368
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
107,368
20.8%
-2.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
139,984
% of total
27.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
139,984
27.2%
+1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
59,550
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
59,550
11.6%
+0.6pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
39,646
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
39,646
7.7%
-0.2pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
132,072
% of total
25.6%
Change from 2016
+3.9pp
132,072
25.6%
+3.9pp
Not Stated
2021 count
36,544
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
36,544
7.1%
-2.4pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+33,829
-1.4pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-44
-2.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+20,584
+1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+9,635
+0.6pp
30 Hours Or More
+3,654
-0.2pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+33,332
+3.9pp
Not Stated
-6,865
-2.4pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Gold Coast (C). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 346,548 | 67.3% | 67.1% | 312,719 | 68.7% | 69.3% | +33,829 | -1.4pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 107,368 | 20.8% | 19.3% | 107,412 | 23.6% | 20.9% | -44 | -2.8pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 139,984 | 27.2% | 26.7% | 119,400 | 26.2% | 26.3% | +20,584 | +1.0pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 59,550 | 11.6% | 12.1% | 49,915 | 11.0% | 12.2% | +9,635 | +0.6pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 39,646 | 7.7% | 9.0% | 35,992 | 7.9% | 10.0% | +3,654 | -0.2pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 132,072 | 25.6% | 24.3% | 98,740 | 21.7% | 20.2% | +33,332 | +3.9pp |
| Not Stated | 36,544 | 7.1% | 8.6% | 43,409 | 9.5% | 10.4% | -6,865 | -2.4pp |
| Total | 515,153 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 454,866 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +60,287 | 0.0pp |