engleski

The Socioeconomic Determinants of Unpaid Work in NSW

Unpaid work is often excluded from socioeconomic analysis, even though it generates great value to society. Caring for the sick or elderly, the raising of children and volunteering greatly contribute to the NSW economy. However, people’s participation in this type of work shows high geographical variation. Using data on self-reported participation in unpaid work from the Census of Population and Housing 2016 at the SA2 level, we analyse spatial variations in three components of the unpaid economy in NSW - volunteering, child care and care for disabled persons. Using multivariate regression models, we explore the associations between these components of the unpaid economy and their socioeconomic covariates. The results showed regional differentials in the amount of reported unpaid economy to be greatest within the Greater Sydney area, and between Sydney and the rest of NSW. Income was found to be the strongest predictor of unpaid work. Age, gender, marital status, family structure and socio- cultural background also explained differences in unpaid work. On average, areas with higher income also tend to be the areas with higher provision of unpaid work. In summary, our study showed that participation in unpaid work was significantly associated with demographic and socioeconomic factors of the locality.

Unpaid work ; socioeconomic factors ; geographical variation ; care ; New South Wales

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