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 Clifton Hill, accounting for 70.7% (3,928 people). This share was lower than Yarra (C) (77.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 476 people and 5.6 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Clifton Hill - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Clifton Hill in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Yarra (C) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Clifton Hill, with comparison markers for Yarra (C).

Clifton Hill
Yarra (C)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

1,441

% of total

25.9%

Change from 2016

-0.3pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

1,129

% of total

20.3%

Change from 2016

+1.2pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

282

% of total

5.1%

Change from 2016

-1.2pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

31

% of total

0.6%

Change from 2016

-0.4pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

3,928

% of total

70.7%

Change from 2016

+5.6pp

Not Stated

2021 count

181

% of total

3.3%

Change from 2016

-5.3pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Clifton Hill. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Yarra (C).

Unpaid childcare for Clifton Hill. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Yarra (C).
Unpaid childcare for Clifton Hill. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Yarra (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Yarra (C)%Count%Yarra (C)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)1,44125.9%16.5%1,38626.2%17.6%+55-0.3pp
Cared For Own Child Ren1,12920.3%12.6%1,01119.1%12.3%+118+1.2pp
Cared For Other Child Ren2825.1%3.7%3326.3%5.0%-50-1.2pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren310.6%0.3%511.0%0.4%-20-0.4pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided3,92870.7%77.9%3,45265.1%72.2%+476+5.6pp
Not Stated1813.3%5.6%4568.6%10.2%-275-5.3pp
Total5,556100.0%100.0%5,300100.0%100.0%+2560.0pp