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 Wollongong (C), accounting for 70.2% (124,114 people). This share was higher than Regional NSW (68.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in doing unpaid domestic work, which increased by 6,954 people and 0.1 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Wollongong (C) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Wollongong (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wollongong (C), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
124,114
% of total
70.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
124,114
70.2%
+0.1pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
34,902
% of total
19.7%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
34,902
19.7%
-2.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
49,353
% of total
27.9%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
49,353
27.9%
+1.6pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
23,330
% of total
13.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
23,330
13.2%
+1.0pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
16,529
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
16,529
9.3%
+0.2pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
43,607
% of total
24.7%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
43,607
24.7%
+2.0pp
Not Stated
2021 count
9,135
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
9,135
5.2%
-2.0pp
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+6,954
+0.1pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-2,629
-2.8pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+5,332
+1.6pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+3,009
+1.0pp
30 Hours Or More
+1,242
+0.2pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+5,712
+2.0pp
Not Stated
-2,896
-2.0pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Wollongong (C). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 124,114 | 70.2% | 68.6% | 117,160 | 70.1% | 69.2% | +6,954 | +0.1pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 34,902 | 19.7% | 18.5% | 37,531 | 22.5% | 19.6% | -2,629 | -2.8pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 49,353 | 27.9% | 27.3% | 44,021 | 26.3% | 26.1% | +5,332 | +1.6pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 23,330 | 13.2% | 13.3% | 20,321 | 12.2% | 13.0% | +3,009 | +1.0pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 16,529 | 9.3% | 9.5% | 15,287 | 9.1% | 10.5% | +1,242 | +0.2pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 43,607 | 24.7% | 23.9% | 37,895 | 22.7% | 20.5% | +5,712 | +2.0pp |
| Not Stated | 9,135 | 5.2% | 7.5% | 12,031 | 7.2% | 10.2% | -2,896 | -2.0pp |
| Total | 176,857 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 167,073 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +9,784 | 0.0pp |