Australia's unpaid labour reaches 31 billion hours annually

New analyses reveal that Australians perform approximately 31 billion hours of unpaid labour annually, including housework, meal preparation, and caregiving. This volume of unpaid work exceeds the combined paid hours of every industry in the country. One study suggests that if this household production were valued at market wages, it would be worth approximately $1 trillion, or about 37 per cent of Australia’s gross domestic product.

Research highlights a significant gender disparity, with women performing 1.4 to 1.8 times more unpaid work than men. Women with young children in low-income households are particularly affected, often performing nearly double the unpaid labour of the wider population. This imbalance is linked to reduced workforce participation and a potential lifetime earnings gap of roughly $800,000.

The reports also note the mental and physical health implications of intensive unpaid labour. Full-time carers report higher rates of depression and anxiety, and individuals performing over 40 hours of housework per week show lower general health scores. Experts suggest that better integration of unpaid labour into national economic statistics could help address these inequalities and the gender pay gap.