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 The Hills Shire (A), accounting for 74% (111,928 people). This share was higher than Greater Sydney (65.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 18,131 people, while its share fell by 1.9 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid domestic work

The Hills Shire (A) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid domestic work for The Hills Shire (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.

Unpaid domestic work snapshot

2021 distribution by category for The Hills Shire (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.

The Hills Shire (A)
Greater Sydney

Did Unpaid Domestic Work

2021 count

111,928

% of total

74.0%

Change from 2016

-1.9pp

Less Than 5 Hours

2021 count

30,868

% of total

20.4%

Change from 2016

-4.8pp

Between 5 And 14 Hours

2021 count

43,168

% of total

28.5%

Change from 2016

+1.0pp

Between 15 And 29 Hours

2021 count

22,092

% of total

14.6%

Change from 2016

+1.4pp

30 Hours Or More

2021 count

15,800

% of total

10.4%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

Did No Unpaid Domestic Work

2021 count

34,421

% of total

22.8%

Change from 2016

+2.9pp

Not Stated

2021 count

4,854

% of total

3.2%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

Data table

Unpaid domestic work for The Hills Shire (A). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.

Unpaid domestic work for The Hills Shire (A). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Unpaid domestic work for The Hills Shire (A). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Category20212016Change
Count%Greater Sydney%Count%Greater Sydney%Countpp
Did Unpaid Domestic Work111,92874.0%65.5%93,79775.9%67.0%+18,131-1.9pp
Less Than 5 Hours30,86820.4%19.0%31,13925.2%23.8%-271-4.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours43,16828.5%26.1%33,93827.5%24.6%+9,230+1.0pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours22,09214.6%11.8%16,33313.2%10.4%+5,759+1.4pp
30 Hours Or More15,80010.4%8.6%12,38710.0%8.1%+3,413+0.4pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work34,42122.8%28.5%24,60519.9%25.2%+9,816+2.9pp
Not Stated4,8543.2%6.1%5,2254.2%7.8%-371-1.0pp
Total151,213100.0%100.0%123,621100.0%100.0%+27,5920.0pp