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 Greater Dandenong (C), accounting for 50% (65,410 people). This share was lower than Greater Melbourne (66.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 11,044 people and 6.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Greater Dandenong (C) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Greater Dandenong (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Melbourne and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Greater Dandenong (C), with comparison markers for Greater Melbourne.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
65,410
% of total
50.0%
Change from 2016
-5.3pp
65,410
50.0%
-5.3pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
21,513
% of total
16.4%
Change from 2016
-3.5pp
21,513
16.4%
-3.5pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
24,200
% of total
18.5%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
24,200
18.5%
-1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
10,757
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
10,757
8.2%
-0.2pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
8,940
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
8,940
6.8%
-0.7pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
56,223
% of total
43.0%
Change from 2016
+6.7pp
56,223
43.0%
+6.7pp
Not Stated
2021 count
9,170
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
9,170
7.0%
-1.4pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
-3,543
-5.3pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-3,280
-3.5pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
-115
-1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+279
-0.2pp
30 Hours Or More
-427
-0.7pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+11,044
+6.7pp
Not Stated
-1,309
-1.4pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Greater Dandenong (C). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 65,410 | 50.0% | 66.6% | 68,953 | 55.3% | 68.2% | -3,543 | -5.3pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 21,513 | 16.4% | 20.4% | 24,793 | 19.9% | 24.5% | -3,280 | -3.5pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 24,200 | 18.5% | 27.1% | 24,315 | 19.5% | 25.3% | -115 | -1.0pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 10,757 | 8.2% | 11.3% | 10,478 | 8.4% | 10.5% | +279 | -0.2pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 8,940 | 6.8% | 7.8% | 9,367 | 7.5% | 8.0% | -427 | -0.7pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 56,223 | 43.0% | 27.9% | 45,179 | 36.3% | 24.1% | +11,044 | +6.7pp |
| Not Stated | 9,170 | 7.0% | 5.5% | 10,479 | 8.4% | 7.7% | -1,309 | -1.4pp |
| Total | 130,795 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 124,599 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,196 | 0.0pp |