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 Knoxfield, accounting for 69% (4,392 people). This share was higher than Knox (C) (68.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 4,374 people, while its share fell by 0.2 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Knoxfield - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Knoxfield in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Knox (C) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Knoxfield, with comparison markers for Knox (C).

Knoxfield
Knox (C)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

1,779

% of total

27.9%

Change from 2016

-2.9pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

1,366

% of total

21.5%

Change from 2016

+2.3pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

382

% of total

6.0%

Change from 2016

+6.0pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

28

% of total

0.4%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

4,392

% of total

69.0%

Change from 2016

-0.2pp

Not Stated

2021 count

198

% of total

3.1%

Change from 2016

-20.0pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Knoxfield. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Knox (C).

Unpaid childcare for Knoxfield. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Knox (C).
Unpaid childcare for Knoxfield. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Knox (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Knox (C)%Count%Knox (C)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)1,77927.9%27.8%830.8%28.9%+1,771-2.9pp
Cared For Own Child Ren1,36621.5%20.9%519.2%20.6%+1,361+2.3pp
Cared For Other Child Ren3826.0%6.3%00.0%7.6%+382+6.0pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren280.4%0.5%00.0%0.7%+28+0.4pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided4,39269.0%68.5%1869.2%65.8%+4,374-0.2pp
Not Stated1983.1%3.8%623.1%5.3%+192-20.0pp
Total6,368100.0%100.0%26100.0%100.0%+6,3420.0pp