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 Plantagenet (S), accounting for 65.5% (2,939 people). This share was higher than Regional WA (62.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 239 people and 1.2 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Plantagenet (S) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Plantagenet (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Plantagenet (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.

Plantagenet (S)
Regional WA

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

986

% of total

22.0%

Change from 2016

-1.2pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

669

% of total

14.9%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

272

% of total

6.1%

Change from 2016

-0.7pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

49

% of total

1.1%

Change from 2016

+0.7pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

2,939

% of total

65.5%

Change from 2016

+1.2pp

Not Stated

2021 count

562

% of total

12.5%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Plantagenet (S). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.

Unpaid childcare for Plantagenet (S). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
Unpaid childcare for Plantagenet (S). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
Category20212016Change
Count%Regional WA%Count%Regional WA%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)98622.0%26.4%97523.2%27.7%+11-1.2pp
Cared For Own Child Ren66914.9%18.7%66815.9%20.0%+1-1.0pp
Cared For Other Child Ren2726.1%6.5%2876.8%6.7%-15-0.7pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren491.1%1.2%180.4%1.0%+31+0.7pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided2,93965.5%62.2%2,70064.3%60.0%+239+1.2pp
Not Stated56212.5%11.4%52212.4%12.3%+40+0.1pp
Total4,488100.0%100.0%4,199100.0%100.0%+2890.0pp