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 Yarra (C), accounting for 76.2% (61,413 people). This share was higher than Greater Melbourne (66.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in between 5 And 14 Hours, which increased by 7,177 people and 7.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid domestic work
Yarra (C) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid domestic work for Yarra (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Melbourne and change since 2016.
Chart view
Unpaid domestic work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Yarra (C), with comparison markers for Greater Melbourne.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
61,413
% of total
76.2%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
61,413
76.2%
+2.8pp
Less Than 5 Hours
2021 count
21,995
% of total
27.3%
Change from 2016
-7.4pp
21,995
27.3%
-7.4pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
2021 count
28,436
% of total
35.3%
Change from 2016
+7.7pp
28,436
35.3%
+7.7pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
2021 count
7,576
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+2.1pp
7,576
9.4%
+2.1pp
30 Hours Or More
2021 count
3,406
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
3,406
4.2%
+0.4pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
2021 count
14,611
% of total
18.1%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
14,611
18.1%
+1.9pp
Not Stated
2021 count
4,562
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
-4.7pp
4,562
5.7%
-4.7pp
Unpaid domestic work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Did Unpaid Domestic Work
+4,875
+2.8pp
Less Than 5 Hours
-4,752
-7.4pp
Between 5 And 14 Hours
+7,177
+7.7pp
Between 15 And 29 Hours
+1,975
+2.1pp
30 Hours Or More
+475
+0.4pp
Did No Unpaid Domestic Work
+2,148
+1.9pp
Not Stated
-3,417
-4.7pp
Data table
Unpaid domestic work for Yarra (C). Unpaid domestic work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | pp | |
| Did Unpaid Domestic Work | 61,413 | 76.2% | 66.6% | 56,538 | 73.4% | 68.2% | +4,875 | +2.8pp |
| Less Than 5 Hours | 21,995 | 27.3% | 20.4% | 26,747 | 34.7% | 24.5% | -4,752 | -7.4pp |
| Between 5 And 14 Hours | 28,436 | 35.3% | 27.1% | 21,259 | 27.6% | 25.3% | +7,177 | +7.7pp |
| Between 15 And 29 Hours | 7,576 | 9.4% | 11.3% | 5,601 | 7.3% | 10.5% | +1,975 | +2.1pp |
| 30 Hours Or More | 3,406 | 4.2% | 7.8% | 2,931 | 3.8% | 8.0% | +475 | +0.4pp |
| Did No Unpaid Domestic Work | 14,611 | 18.1% | 27.9% | 12,463 | 16.2% | 24.1% | +2,148 | +1.9pp |
| Not Stated | 4,562 | 5.7% | 5.5% | 7,979 | 10.4% | 7.7% | -3,417 | -4.7pp |
| Total | 80,584 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 76,983 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,601 | 0.0pp |