Unpaid work outside the household includes childcare and helping someone who is ill or has a disability who does not live within the same household. Sixteen percent of the adult population participated in child care outside their own household in the four weeks preceding census night.
Nine percent of the adult population helped someone who was sick or had a disability outside their own household in the four weeks preceding census night.
Unpaid work outside own household by sex
As with work within the household, females were more likely than males to participate in unpaid care of others outside their own household. Twenty-one percent of females looked after a child who did not live within their own household, compared with 11 percent of males. Of those caring for a child living outside their own household, 66 percent were female.
When it came to helping someone who was ill or had a disability living outside their own household, 12 percent of females did so, compared with 6 percent of males. Some 66 percent of those helping someone who was ill or who had a disability living outside their own household were female.
Unpaid work outside own household by age
The age distribution for those engaged in unpaid care of others living outside their own household is different to those engaged in the unpaid care of others living within their own household, particularly for females.
The peak age for caring for a child living within their own household was 35–39 years for both males and females. While the peak age for caring for a child living outside the household remained the same for males, the peak age for females was 60–64 years of age.
The proportion of females caring for a child outside their own household was still high for the 35–39 age group (26 percent). However, the percentage of females caring for a child outside their own household did not remain constant from ages 35 through to 64. Rather, it fell to 19 percent for the 45–49 age group and steadily rose again to peak at 27 percent for females aged 60–64 years.
The high proportion of females caring for a child living either within or outside their own household at ages 35–39 and then again at ages 60–64 is likely to be due to women's high participation in childcare both at peak child rearing age and again when they have grandchildren later in life.
Those in the age groups 50–54 and 55–59 were more likely to help someone who was ill or had a disability living outside their own household than any other age group, with 13 percent of both groups doing so within the four weeks preceding census night. Females within these age groups showed particularly high rates of helping someone who was ill or who had a disability living outside their own household. Eighteen percent of females aged 50 to 59 undertook this form of unpaid work. This was compared with 9 percent of males in the same age groups.
Unpaid work outside own household by ethnicity
Māori were significantly more likely than any other ethnic group to care for a child living outside their own household. Twenty-five percent of Māori did so in the four weeks preceding census night compared with 16 percent of the population overall. In particular a large percentage of Māori women, 31 percent, looked after a child living outside their own household.
Māori were also most likely to help someone who was ill or who had a disability living outside their own household. Twelve percent of Māori undertook this activity compared with 9 percent of the population overall.
Unpaid work outside own household by labour force status
People in the labour force (this includes those employed full time, employed part time and unemployed) were more likely to look after a child who did not live within their own household in the four weeks preceding census night. Of those within the labour force, unemployed people were the most likely to do so, at 21 percent. People employed full time were the least likely, at 16 percent.
Those employed part time and those who were unemployed were the most likely to help someone who was ill or had a disability living outside their own household. Twelve percent of people in each of these labour force status groups did so in the four weeks preceding census night.
People employed full time and people not in the labour force were less likely to help someone who was ill or had a disability living outside their own household, with 8 percent and 9 percent, respectively, doing so.
Labour force status had a bigger impact upon rates of childcare outside the household for females than it did for males, particularly for those within the labour force. For example, 20 percent of females in full-time employment cared for a child outside their own household compared with 25 percent of females employed part time and 28 percent of unemployed females.
By contrast, there was less of a spread in participation rates in this form of unpaid work for males who were within the labour force. Ten percent of males employed part time cared for a child living outside their own household, compared with 13 percent of males employed full time and 14 percent of males who were unemployed.
Unpaid work outside own household by status in employment
Status in employment also had an impact upon the likelihood that people would undertake unpaid work outside their own household. Unpaid family workers were the most likely to care for a child living outside their own household, at 20 percent, and to help someone with an illness or disability living outside their own household, at 13 percent.