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 Goomalling (S), accounting for 62.8% (497 people). This share was higher than Regional WA (62.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which decreased by 21 people and 0.2 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Goomalling (S) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Goomalling (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Goomalling (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.

Goomalling (S)
Regional WA

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

194

% of total

24.5%

Change from 2016

-1.7pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

145

% of total

18.3%

Change from 2016

-0.6pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

45

% of total

5.7%

Change from 2016

-0.6pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

3

% of total

0.4%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

497

% of total

62.8%

Change from 2016

-0.2pp

Not Stated

2021 count

106

% of total

13.4%

Change from 2016

+2.1pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Goomalling (S). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.

Unpaid childcare for Goomalling (S). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
Unpaid childcare for Goomalling (S). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
Category20212016Change
Count%Regional WA%Count%Regional WA%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)19424.5%26.4%21526.2%27.7%-21-1.7pp
Cared For Own Child Ren14518.3%18.7%15518.9%20.0%-10-0.6pp
Cared For Other Child Ren455.7%6.5%526.3%6.7%-7-0.6pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren30.4%1.2%40.5%1.0%-1-0.1pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided49762.8%62.2%51863.0%60.0%-21-0.2pp
Not Stated10613.4%11.4%9311.3%12.3%+13+2.1pp
Total792100.0%100.0%822100.0%100.0%-300.0pp