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 Brukunga, accounting for 65.6% (214 people). This share was higher than Mount Barker (DC) (64.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which decreased by 9 people, while its share rose by 3.1 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Brukunga - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Brukunga in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mount Barker (DC) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Brukunga, with comparison markers for Mount Barker (DC).

Brukunga
Mount Barker (DC)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

93

% of total

28.5%

Change from 2016

+3.3pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

71

% of total

21.8%

Change from 2016

+4.4pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

17

% of total

5.2%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

3

% of total

0.9%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

214

% of total

65.6%

Change from 2016

+3.1pp

Not Stated

2021 count

27

% of total

8.3%

Change from 2016

-2.6pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Brukunga. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Barker (DC).

Unpaid childcare for Brukunga. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Barker (DC).
Unpaid childcare for Brukunga. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Barker (DC).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mount Barker (DC)%Count%Mount Barker (DC)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)9328.5%31.0%9025.2%32.2%+3+3.3pp
Cared For Own Child Ren7121.8%22.3%6217.4%22.4%+9+4.4pp
Cared For Other Child Ren175.2%7.6%226.2%8.7%-5-1.0pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren30.9%1.1%30.8%1.2%0+0.1pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided21465.6%64.5%22362.5%61.3%-9+3.1pp
Not Stated278.3%4.4%3910.9%6.5%-12-2.6pp
Total326100.0%100.0%357100.0%100.0%-310.0pp