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 Sunshine Coast (R), accounting for 72.1% (204,198 people). This share was higher than Regional Qld (67.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 27,507 people, while its share fell by 1.2 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Sunshine Coast (R) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Sunshine Coast (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sunshine Coast (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
204,198
% of total
72.1%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
204,198
72.1%
-1.2pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
56,396
% of total
19.9%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
56,396
19.9%
-1.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
82,551
% of total
29.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
82,551
29.2%
+0.9pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
39,197
% of total
13.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
39,197
13.8%
+0.4pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
26,054
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
26,054
9.2%
-0.8pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
61,606
% of total
21.8%
Change from 2016
+3.0pp
61,606
21.8%
+3.0pp
Not Stated
2021 count
17,247
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
17,247
6.1%
-1.8pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+27,507
-1.2pp
Less Than 5 Hours
+4,038
-1.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+14,456
+0.9pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+7,004
+0.4pp
30 Hours Or More
+2,009
-0.8pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+16,416
+3.0pp
Not Stated
-1,867
-1.8pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Sunshine Coast (R). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 204,198 | 72.1% | 67.1% | 176,691 | 73.3% | 69.3% | +27,507 | -1.2pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 56,396 | 19.9% | 19.3% | 52,358 | 21.7% | 20.9% | +4,038 | -1.8pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 82,551 | 29.2% | 26.7% | 68,095 | 28.3% | 26.3% | +14,456 | +0.9pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 39,197 | 13.8% | 12.1% | 32,193 | 13.4% | 12.2% | +7,004 | +0.4pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 26,054 | 9.2% | 9.0% | 24,045 | 10.0% | 10.0% | +2,009 | -0.8pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 61,606 | 21.8% | 24.3% | 45,190 | 18.8% | 20.2% | +16,416 | +3.0pp |
| Not Stated | 17,247 | 6.1% | 8.6% | 19,114 | 7.9% | 10.4% | -1,867 | -1.8pp |
| Total | 283,049 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 240,989 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +42,060 | 0.0pp |