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 Inner West (A), accounting for 74.8% (116,732 people). This share was higher than Greater Sydney (65.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in between 5 And 14 Hours, which increased by 9,312 people and 5.6 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Inner West (A) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Inner West (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Inner West (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
116,732
% of total
74.8%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
116,732
74.8%
+2.9pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
35,281
% of total
22.6%
Change from 2016
-6.3pp
35,281
22.6%
-6.3pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
52,985
% of total
33.9%
Change from 2016
+5.6pp
52,985
33.9%
+5.6pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
19,114
% of total
12.2%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
19,114
12.2%
+2.9pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
9,352
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
9,352
6.0%
+0.6pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
31,346
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
31,346
20.1%
+0.8pp
Not Stated
2021 count
8,034
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-3.6pp
8,034
5.1%
-3.6pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+5,854
+2.9pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-9,197
-6.3pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+9,312
+5.6pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+4,784
+2.9pp
30 Hours Or More
+955
+0.6pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+1,543
+0.8pp
Not Stated
-5,420
-3.6pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Inner West (A). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 116,732 | 74.8% | 65.5% | 110,878 | 71.9% | 67.0% | +5,854 | +2.9pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 35,281 | 22.6% | 19.0% | 44,478 | 28.9% | 23.8% | -9,197 | -6.3pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 52,985 | 33.9% | 26.1% | 43,673 | 28.3% | 24.6% | +9,312 | +5.6pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 19,114 | 12.2% | 11.8% | 14,330 | 9.3% | 10.4% | +4,784 | +2.9pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 9,352 | 6.0% | 8.6% | 8,397 | 5.4% | 8.1% | +955 | +0.6pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 31,346 | 20.1% | 28.5% | 29,803 | 19.3% | 25.2% | +1,543 | +0.8pp |
| Not Stated | 8,034 | 5.1% | 6.1% | 13,454 | 8.7% | 7.8% | -5,420 | -3.6pp |
| Total | 156,117 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 154,128 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,989 | 0.0pp |