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 Northern Beaches (A), accounting for 76.2% (163,740 people). This share was higher than Greater Sydney (65.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 11,458 people and 1.2 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Northern Beaches (A) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Northern Beaches (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Northern Beaches (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
163,740
% of total
76.2%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
163,740
76.2%
+1.2pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
48,787
% of total
22.7%
Change from 2016
-3.9pp
48,787
22.7%
-3.9pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
67,550
% of total
31.4%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
67,550
31.4%
+2.9pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
29,923
% of total
13.9%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
29,923
13.9%
+1.8pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
17,480
% of total
8.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
17,480
8.1%
+0.3pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
42,211
% of total
19.6%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
42,211
19.6%
+1.5pp
Not Stated
2021 count
8,867
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
8,867
4.1%
-2.8pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+11,458
+1.2pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-5,131
-3.9pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+9,618
+2.9pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+5,278
+1.8pp
30 Hours Or More
+1,693
+0.3pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+5,411
+1.5pp
Not Stated
-5,067
-2.8pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Northern Beaches (A). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 163,740 | 76.2% | 65.5% | 152,282 | 75.0% | 67.0% | +11,458 | +1.2pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 48,787 | 22.7% | 19.0% | 53,918 | 26.6% | 23.8% | -5,131 | -3.9pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 67,550 | 31.4% | 26.1% | 57,932 | 28.5% | 24.6% | +9,618 | +2.9pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 29,923 | 13.9% | 11.8% | 24,645 | 12.1% | 10.4% | +5,278 | +1.8pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 17,480 | 8.1% | 8.6% | 15,787 | 7.8% | 8.1% | +1,693 | +0.3pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 42,211 | 19.6% | 28.5% | 36,800 | 18.1% | 25.2% | +5,411 | +1.5pp |
| Not Stated | 8,867 | 4.1% | 6.1% | 13,934 | 6.9% | 7.8% | -5,067 | -2.8pp |
| Total | 214,822 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 203,023 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +11,799 | 0.0pp |