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 The Leap, accounting for 76.1% (407 people). This share was higher than Mackay (R) (65.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 25 people and 5 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
The Leap - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for The Leap in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for The Leap, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
407
% of total
76.1%
Change from 2016
+5.0pp
407
76.1%
+5.0pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
113
% of total
21.1%
Change from 2016
+2.1pp
113
21.1%
+2.1pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
151
% of total
28.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
151
28.2%
+1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
77
% of total
14.4%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
77
14.4%
-1.8pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
66
% of total
12.3%
Change from 2016
+3.5pp
66
12.3%
+3.5pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
83
% of total
15.5%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
83
15.5%
-1.8pp
Not Stated
2021 count
54
% of total
10.1%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
54
10.1%
-0.7pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+25
+5.0pp
Less Than 5 Hours
+11
+2.1pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+5
+1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
-10
-1.8pp
30 Hours Or More
+19
+3.5pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
-10
-1.8pp
Not Stated
-4
-0.7pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for The Leap. Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 407 | 76.1% | 65.7% | 382 | 71.1% | 69.9% | +25 | +5.0pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 113 | 21.1% | 18.8% | 102 | 19.0% | 20.2% | +11 | +2.1pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 151 | 28.2% | 26.3% | 146 | 27.2% | 26.5% | +5 | +1.0pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 77 | 14.4% | 11.3% | 87 | 16.2% | 12.3% | -10 | -1.8pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 66 | 12.3% | 9.3% | 47 | 8.8% | 11.0% | +19 | +3.5pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 83 | 15.5% | 23.8% | 93 | 17.3% | 19.5% | -10 | -1.8pp |
| Not Stated | 54 | 10.1% | 10.5% | 58 | 10.8% | 10.6% | -4 | -0.7pp |
| Total | 535 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 537 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -2 | 0.0pp |