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 Lewisham (NSW), accounting for 75.2% (2,643 people). This share was higher than Inner West (A) (74.8%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 605 people and 1.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Lewisham (NSW) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Lewisham (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Inner West (A) and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Lewisham (NSW), with comparison markers for Inner West (A).
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
2,643
% of total
75.2%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
2,643
75.2%
+1.3pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
816
% of total
23.2%
Change from 2016
-9.3pp
816
23.2%
-9.3pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
1,261
% of total
35.9%
Change from 2016
+7.1pp
1,261
35.9%
+7.1pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
394
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
+3.2pp
394
11.2%
+3.2pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
172
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
172
4.9%
+0.3pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
577
% of total
16.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
577
16.4%
+0.2pp
Not Stated
2021 count
294
% of total
8.4%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
294
8.4%
-1.3pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+605
+1.3pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-79
-9.3pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+467
+7.1pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+173
+3.2pp
30 Hours Or More
+44
+0.3pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+131
+0.2pp
Not Stated
+27
-1.3pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Lewisham (NSW). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Inner West (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Inner West (A)% | Count | % | Inner West (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 2,643 | 75.2% | 74.8% | 2,038 | 73.9% | 71.9% | +605 | +1.3pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 816 | 23.2% | 22.6% | 895 | 32.5% | 28.9% | -79 | -9.3pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 1,261 | 35.9% | 33.9% | 794 | 28.8% | 28.3% | +467 | +7.1pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 394 | 11.2% | 12.2% | 221 | 8.0% | 9.3% | +173 | +3.2pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 172 | 4.9% | 6.0% | 128 | 4.6% | 5.4% | +44 | +0.3pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 577 | 16.4% | 20.1% | 446 | 16.2% | 19.3% | +131 | +0.2pp |
| Not Stated | 294 | 8.4% | 5.1% | 267 | 9.7% | 8.7% | +27 | -1.3pp |
| Total | 3,513 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,756 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +757 | 0.0pp |