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 North Arm Cove, accounting for 73.2% (355 people). This share was higher than Mid-Coast (A) (72.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 243 people and 3.2 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

North Arm Cove - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for North Arm Cove in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for North Arm Cove, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).

North Arm Cove
Mid-Coast (A)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

84

% of total

17.3%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

54

% of total

11.1%

Change from 2016

-2.0pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

32

% of total

6.6%

Change from 2016

+0.3pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

0

% of total

0.0%

Change from 2016

0.0pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

355

% of total

73.2%

Change from 2016

+3.2pp

Not Stated

2021 count

42

% of total

8.7%

Change from 2016

-1.3pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for North Arm Cove. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).

Unpaid childcare for North Arm Cove. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
Unpaid childcare for North Arm Cove. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mid-Coast (A)%Count%Mid-Coast (A)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)8417.3%19.8%2716.9%21.9%+57+0.4pp
Cared For Own Child Ren5411.1%13.4%2113.1%14.2%+33-2.0pp
Cared For Other Child Ren326.6%5.8%106.3%7.1%+22+0.3pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren00.0%0.6%00.0%0.6%00.0pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided35573.2%72.3%11270.0%68.4%+243+3.2pp
Not Stated428.7%7.9%1610.0%9.7%+26-1.3pp
Total485100.0%100.0%160100.0%100.0%+3250.0pp