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.

Key insight

In 2021, doing unpaid domestic work was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Melrose (SA), accounting for 74.6% (206 people). This share was higher than Mount Remarkable (DC) (70.4%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in between 5 And 14 Hours, which increased by 22 people and 8.4 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid domestic work

Melrose (SA) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Melrose (SA) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mount Remarkable (DC) and change since 2016.

Unpaid domestic work snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Melrose (SA), with comparison markers for Mount Remarkable (DC).

Melrose (SA)
Mount Remarkable (DC)

Did Unpaid Domestic Work

2021 count

206

% of total

74.6%

Change from 2016

+0.6pp

Less Than 5 Hours

2021 count

55

% of total

19.9%

Change from 2016

-1.1pp

Between 5 And 14 Hours

2021 count

87

% of total

31.5%

Change from 2016

+8.4pp

Between 15 And 29 Hours

2021 count

39

% of total

14.1%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

30 Hours Or More

2021 count

25

% of total

9.1%

Change from 2016

-6.6pp

Did No Unpaid Domestic Work

2021 count

43

% of total

15.6%

Change from 2016

+1.7pp

Not Stated

2021 count

23

% of total

8.3%

Change from 2016

-2.0pp

Data table

Unpaid domestic work for Melrose (SA). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Remarkable (DC).

Unpaid domestic work for Melrose (SA). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Remarkable (DC).
Unpaid domestic work for Melrose (SA). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Remarkable (DC).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mount Remarkable (DC)%Count%Mount Remarkable (DC)%Countpp
Did Unpaid Domestic Work20674.6%70.4%20874.0%70.7%-2+0.6pp
Less Than 5 Hours5519.9%16.5%5921.0%15.8%-4-1.1pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours8731.5%26.8%6523.1%24.5%+22+8.4pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours3914.1%14.2%4014.2%15.5%-1-0.1pp
30 Hours Or More259.1%13.0%4415.7%14.8%-19-6.6pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work4315.6%20.3%3913.9%18.8%+4+1.7pp
Not Stated238.3%9.1%2910.3%10.4%-6-2.0pp
Total276100.0%100.0%281100.0%100.0%-50.0pp