Unpaid work within the household includes household work, childcare and caring for another member of the household who is ill or has a disability. The most common unpaid work within the household, and also the most common across all types of unpaid work, was household work, with activities such as cooking, repairs and gardening. In the four weeks preceding census night, 86 percent of adults undertook household work.
With regard to the other forms of unpaid work within the household, 32 percent of adults looked after a child living within their own household in the four weeks preceding census night, and 8 percent looked after a member of their own household who was ill or had a disability.
Unpaid work within own household by sex
Females have higher participation rates in all forms of unpaid work within their own household than males. Eighty-nine percent of women undertook household work, compared with 82 percent of men.
Females were also more likely to engage in unpaid care of others living within their own household. For example, 35 percent of females looked after a child living within their own household, compared with 27 percent of males. Similarly, 9 percent of females looked after someone in their own household who was ill or disabled, compared with 6 percent of males. Sixty-one percent of those caring for a member of their own household who was ill or disabled were female.
Unpaid work within own household by age
Age also had an impact upon rates of unpaid work within the household. Participation rates in household work peaked for the age groups 35–39 years and 40–44 years, with rates of 93 percent and 92 percent, respectively. However, participation rates remained above 90 percent for people aged between 30 and 54 years of age.
Age had a greater effect on engagement in unpaid work involving the care of others within the household than it did on household work. For both males and females, looking after a child living within their own household peaked at the ages 35–39 years, with 63 percent of people doing so in the four weeks preceding census night. This pattern is particularly significant for women, with 71 percent of females aged 35–39 years caring for a child living within their own household, compared with 55 percent of men of this age.
Females were more likely than males to care for a child living within their own household across all age groups. This difference between males and females becomes less significant for people aged 50–54 and older.
The peak age of people caring for a member of their own household who was ill or had a disability was slightly older than the peak age for caring for a child. People aged 40–44 were most likely to participate in this form of unpaid work, with 11 percent of people doing so. This peak in the 40–44 years age group may be in part due to this group's parents becoming more elderly and dependent.
Unpaid work within own household by ethnicity
While Māori and Pacific peoples had similar rates of participation in household work when compared with the population overall, they were more likely to be engaged in unpaid work involving care of others within their household.
For example, 43 percent of both Māori and Pacific peoples looked after a child living within their own household, compared with 30 percent of Europeans, and 32 percent of the population overall. Similarly, 13 percent of both Māori and Pacific peoples looked after a member of their own household who was ill or who had a disability, compared with 8 percent of the population overall.
Māori and Pacific females were significantly more likely than females within any other ethnic group to care for others living within their own household. Fifty percent of Māori women and 48 percent of Pacific women cared for a child living within their own household, compared with 35 percent of females across the population overall. Similarly, 15 percent of both Māori and Pacific women cared for someone with an illness or disability living within their own household, compared with 9 percent of females across the population overall.
Unpaid work within own household by labour force status
Labour force staus had a significant impact on the likelihood of females caring for a child living within their own household. Females who worked part time or who were unemployed were more likely to care for a child living within their own household than females working full time. Forty-seven percent of females working part time and 45 percent of unemployed females cared for a child living within their own household, compared with 33 percent of females working full time.
Males showed a different pattern to females with regard to labour force status. Males employed part time were in fact less likely than males employed full time to do unpaid work within their own household. However, a disproportionate number of males who work part time are in the younger age groups, whereas males working full time are more likely to be of child rearing age. Importantly, it is the younger age groups that were least likely to engage in unpaid work. By contrast, the distribution for females by labour force status is more evenly spread across age groups. This means that comparison between males and females by labour force status should be approached with caution.
Females outside the labour force and females working full time had similar rates of childcare within their own household, with 31 percent of females not in the labour force caring for a child within their own household.
Females who were employed part time or unemployed were also more likely to look after someone living in their own household who was ill or had a disability. Ten percent of females working part time and 13 percent of unemployed females undertook this form of unpaid work in the four weeks preceding census night.
By comparison, 8 percent of females working full-time looked after someone living in their own household who was ill or who had a disability.
Unpaid work within own household by status in employment
Status in employment also had a bearing upon participation in unpaid work within the household. Both males and females who indicated their employment status as employers were more likely than other status of employment groups to care for a child living within their own household. Forty percent of male employers looked after a child living within their own household. This compares with 32 percent of male paid employees and 31 percent of self-employed males.
Females who indicated their employment status as paid employee were the least likely to look after a child living within their own home. Thirty-six percent of female paid employees looked after a child living within their own household compared with 48 percent of female employers, 46 percent of female unpaid family workers and 43 percent of females who were self-employed and without employees.
For both males and females, those whose status in employment was unpaid family worker were the most likely to look after a member of their own household with an illness or disability. Nine percent of males and and 13 percent of females undertook this form of unpaid work in the four weeks preceding census night.