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City of Merri-bekCommunity profile

City of Merri-bek

Unpaid domestic work

In the City of Merri-bek 10% of the male population over 15 did more than 14 hours of housework each week in 2021.

There has been increased interest in identifying, acknowledging and valuing the unpaid work that supports home and community life. The changing amount of time spent on unpaid housework in different Household Types and, particularly the distribution of this work within the household, can indicate the changing roles of males, females and older children in society. The level of unpaid domestic work in the City of Merri-bek may also be related to Household Income, as higher income households are able to outsource some of these tasks.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'In the last week did the person spend time doing unpaid domestic work for their household?'

Unpaid domestic work
City of Merri-bek - Males aged 15+ (Usual residence)20212016Change
Hours spent on unpaid domestic workNumber%Greater Melbourne %Number%Greater Melbourne %2016 to 2021
Did unpaid domestic work45,88165.662.742,15863.863.6+3,723
Less than 5 hours18,09025.925.420,23830.630.5-2,148
Between 5 and 14 hours20,58729.426.916,64125.224.5+3,946
Between 15 and 29 hours5,1797.47.33,7385.75.9+1,441
30 hours or more2,0252.93.11,5412.32.7+484
Did no unpaid domestic work20,24628.931.418,61728.228.5+1,629
Not stated3,8235.55.85,3488.17.9-1,525
Total persons aged 15+69,950100.0100.066,123100.0100.0+3,827
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the unpaid domestic work performed by the male population in the City of Merri-bek in 2021 compared to Greater Melbourne shows that there was a similar proportion of males who performed 15 hours or more of unpaid domestic work per week.

Overall, 10% of the male population reported performing 15 hours or more of unpaid domestic work, compared with 10.4% for Greater Melbourne.

The major differences between the share of the male population performing unpaid domestic work in the City of Merri-bek and Greater Melbourne were:

  • A larger percentage of males who did unpaid domestic work (total) (65.6% compared to 62.7%)
  • A larger percentage of males who did between 5 and 14 hours of domestic work (29.4% compared to 26.9%)
  • A smaller percentage of males who did no unpaid domestic work (28.9% compared to 31.4%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the number of males performing unpaid domestic work in the City of Merri-bek, between 2016 and 2021 were those who:

  • Between 5 and 14 hours (+3,946 males)
  • Did unpaid domestic work (+3,723 males)
  • Less than 5 hours (-2,148 males)
  • Did no unpaid domestic work (+1,629 males)

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