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 Unincorporated SA, accounting for 56.7% (1,463 people). This share was lower than Regional SA (69.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which decreased by 174 people, while its share rose by 2.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Unincorporated SA - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Unincorporated SA in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Unincorporated SA, with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
1,463
% of total
56.7%
Change from 2016
+2.7pp
1,463
56.7%
+2.7pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
427
% of total
16.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
427
16.6%
-0.1pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
581
% of total
22.5%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
581
22.5%
+1.9pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
224
% of total
8.7%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
224
8.7%
-0.5pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
231
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
231
9.0%
+1.5pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
653
% of total
25.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
653
25.3%
-0.5pp
Not Stated
2021 count
460
% of total
17.8%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
460
17.8%
-2.3pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
-174
+2.7pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-78
-0.1pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
-45
+1.9pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
-56
-0.5pp
30 Hours Or More
+5
+1.5pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
-129
-0.5pp
Not Stated
-150
-2.3pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Unincorporated SA. Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 1,463 | 56.7% | 69.3% | 1,637 | 54.0% | 69.8% | -174 | +2.7pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 427 | 16.6% | 17.9% | 505 | 16.7% | 18.4% | -78 | -0.1pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 581 | 22.5% | 27.0% | 626 | 20.6% | 26.0% | -45 | +1.9pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 224 | 8.7% | 13.9% | 280 | 9.2% | 13.8% | -56 | -0.5pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 231 | 9.0% | 10.4% | 226 | 7.5% | 11.5% | +5 | +1.5pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 653 | 25.3% | 22.7% | 782 | 25.8% | 20.0% | -129 | -0.5pp |
| Not Stated | 460 | 17.8% | 8.0% | 610 | 20.1% | 10.2% | -150 | -2.3pp |
| Total | 2,580 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3,032 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -452 | 0.0pp |