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 Yorke Peninsula (DC), accounting for 72.7% (7,292 people). This share was higher than Regional SA (67.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 469 people and 1.1 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Yorke Peninsula (DC) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Yorke Peninsula (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Yorke Peninsula (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.

Yorke Peninsula (DC)
Regional SA

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

1,916

% of total

19.1%

Change from 2016

-1.5pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

1,206

% of total

12.0%

Change from 2016

-1.1pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

648

% of total

6.5%

Change from 2016

-0.4pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

60

% of total

0.6%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

7,292

% of total

72.7%

Change from 2016

+1.1pp

Not Stated

2021 count

828

% of total

8.2%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Yorke Peninsula (DC). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.

Unpaid childcare for Yorke Peninsula (DC). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
Unpaid childcare for Yorke Peninsula (DC). Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
Category20212016Change
Count%Regional SA%Count%Regional SA%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)1,91619.1%24.3%1,95920.6%26.2%-43-1.5pp
Cared For Own Child Ren1,20612.0%16.2%1,25213.1%17.4%-46-1.1pp
Cared For Other Child Ren6486.5%7.2%6596.9%7.9%-11-0.4pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren600.6%0.8%460.5%0.9%+14+0.1pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided7,29272.7%67.9%6,82371.6%64.3%+469+1.1pp
Not Stated8288.2%7.8%7447.8%9.5%+84+0.4pp
Total10,037100.0%100.0%9,530100.0%100.0%+5070.0pp