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 Beacon, accounting for 61.2% (60 people). This share was lower than Mount Marshall (S) (64.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in provided Unpaid Child Care (All), which decreased by 32 people and 23 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Beacon - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Beacon in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mount Marshall (S) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Beacon, with comparison markers for Mount Marshall (S).

Beacon
Mount Marshall (S)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

29

% of total

29.6%

Change from 2016

-23.0pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

16

% of total

16.3%

Change from 2016

-17.3pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

4

% of total

4.1%

Change from 2016

-5.4pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

0

% of total

0.0%

Change from 2016

-3.4pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

60

% of total

61.2%

Change from 2016

+15.5pp

Not Stated

2021 count

11

% of total

11.2%

Change from 2016

+4.3pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Beacon. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Marshall (S).

Unpaid childcare for Beacon. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Marshall (S).
Unpaid childcare for Beacon. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Marshall (S).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mount Marshall (S)%Count%Mount Marshall (S)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)2929.6%25.5%6152.6%33.4%-32-23.0pp
Cared For Own Child Ren1616.3%16.6%3933.6%26.4%-23-17.3pp
Cared For Other Child Ren44.1%7.5%119.5%6.3%-7-5.4pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren00.0%0.8%43.4%1.0%-4-3.4pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided6061.2%64.2%5345.7%57.6%+7+15.5pp
Not Stated1111.2%10.1%86.9%8.0%+3+4.3pp
Total98100.0%100.0%116100.0%100.0%-180.0pp