Summary:
- The proportion of couples with children is decreasing and couples without children, lone parents, and lone person households are increasing.
- Marriage rates are decreasing and divorce rates are increasing, although both rates show signs of stabilising since 2001.
- Men and women are marrying at increasingly older ages.
- The number of de facto relationships as a precursor or alternative to marriage is increasing.
- Women continue to do the majority of housework and child care.
- More women than men care for the elderly and people with a disability. After age 65 years a higher proportion of men than women care for their spouses.
- Women, more than men, use a variety of arrangements to manage work and family responsibilities. These include part-time work, flexible working arrangements, formal and informal child care and paid and unpaid leave.
In this part:
The changing face of the family
Household types
At the time of the 2003 Family Characteristics Survey,1 there were 7.64 million households in Australia. Figure 2.1 shows that between 1992 and 2003 there have been some changes in the types of Australian households. Family households were the most common type of household at both points in time. However, as a proportion of all households, family households have decreased from 74.3% in 1992 to 71% in 2003. Lone person households have increased from 21.9% of all households in 1992 to 25.2% of all households in 2003.
Figure 2.1: Australian household types, 1992 and 2003
Source: Family Characteristics, June 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4442.0, Table 1.
Families are characterised by the presence of certain relationships at the time of the survey, such as couples in a registered or de facto marriage, parent-child and other blood relationships.
Lone person households
At the 2001 Census count, there were 1.6 million people living alone and women accounted for 54.7% of all people living alone. People aged 65 years and over were more likely to live alone than people in other age groups (Figure 2.2). Between the ages of 25 and 54 years, men were more likely than women to live alone. After the age of 55 years, more women than men lived alone. Women accounted for about three-quarters of all people aged 65 years and over living alone.2
Figure 2.2: Number of men and women living alone by age, 2001
Source: Census of Population and Housing, Selected Social and Housing Characteristics, Australia, 2001, ABS Cat. No. 2015.0, Table B14.
[ top ]
Family types
In 2003, the most common type of family consisted of couples with children, accounting for 46% of all families (Figure 2.3). The proportion of couple families with children has decreased over time and the percentages of one-parent families and couple families without children have increased.
Figure 2.3: Australian family types, 1992–2003
Source: Family Characteristics, June 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4442.0, Table 7.
A child is a person of any age who is a natural, step or foster child, usually resident in the same household as the couple or lone parent and does not have a child or partner of their own living in the household.
Figures for 'Other' families not shown.
One-parent families
In 2003, the majority of one-parent families (83.2%) were headed by lone mothers. As a proportion of all one-parent families, lone mother families have decreased slightly from 84.2% in 1992.1
Lone mothers tend to have younger children living with them than do lone fathers. In 2003, 47.9% of all children living with lone mothers were aged 0–11 years compared to 28.6% of children in lone father households (Figure 2.4). Nearly three-quarters of all children living with lone fathers (71.4%) were aged 12 years or over, compared to 52.1% of children in lone mother households.
Figure 2.4: Proportion of children in one-parent families by age of youngest child and gender of parent, 2003
Source: Family Characteristics, June 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4442.0, Table 8.
The majority of one-parent families in 2003 were formed through separation and divorce (Figure 2.5). A large proportion of lone parents had never been married, particularly lone mothers. The proportion of one-parent families formed through widowhood was relatively small, but a slightly higher proportion of lone fathers than lone mothers had been widowed.
Figure 2.5: Registered marital status of lone fathers and lone mothers, 2003
Source: Family Characteristics, June 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4442.0, Table 18.
Totals do not add up to 100% as data for lone parents who reported their marital status as married have been excluded.
[ top ]
Changes in family relationships
Marriage
Trends in the marriage rate
Throughout the last century, the crude marriage rate has fluctuated in accordance with prevailing economic and social conditions (Figure 2.6).3 Australia witnessed a 'marriage boom' from the post World War II period to the early 1970s. The highest crude marriage rate ever recorded was 12 marriages per 1,000 people in 1942. The boom appeared to end in the mid to late 1970s and marriage steadily declined to rates significantly lower than those recorded prior to the marriage boom. The lowest rate of 5.3 marriages per 1,000 people was recorded in 2001. The crude marriage rate increased slightly to 5.5 in 2004.4
Figure 2.6: Crude marriage rate, 1904–2004
Source: Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2006, ABS Cat. No. 3105.0.65.001, Table 92.
As with the crude marriage rate, the first marriage rate has also fallen over the last few decades. Table 2.1 shows that between 1966 and 2001, falls in the first marriage rate occurred across all ages for both men and women, especially among younger brides and grooms. The teenage marriage rate also declined substantially. In 1966, the first marriage rate for men aged between 15 and 19 years was 14.9 and this reduced to 0.9 in 2001. For comparably aged women, the first marriage rate decreased from 61.5 in 1966 to 4.2 in 2001.
Table 2.1: Age-specific first marriage rates by gender, 1966 and 2001
| |
MEN |
WOMEN |
| AGE GROUP |
1966 |
2001 |
1966 |
2001 |
| 15-19 |
14.9 |
0.9 |
61.5 |
4.2 |
| 20-24 |
152.8 |
23.1 |
272.0 |
42.3 |
| 25-29 |
195.7 |
66.5 |
183.9 |
83.2 |
| 30-34 |
100.3 |
63.1 |
90.8 |
65.2 |
| 35-39 |
48.6 |
38.4 |
45.0 |
33.0 |
| 40-44 |
27.9 |
21.1 |
24.9 |
16.6 |
| 45-49 |
15.7 |
11.1 |
15.9 |
9.3 |
| 50 and over |
5.8 |
3.5 |
3.6 |
2.5 |
Source: Australian Social Trends, 1995, ABS Cat. No. 4102.0 & Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2002, ABS Cat. No. 3310.0.
Delaying marriage
Figure 2.7 shows that Australian men and women are marrying at increasingly older ages. In 2004, the median age at marriage for men was 31.5 years, rising marginally from 31.2 years in 2003 and 31 years in 2002. For women, the median age at marriage rose from 28.9 years in 2002 to 29.1 years and 29.2 years in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Figure 2.7: Median age at marriage by gender, 1979–2004
Source: Year Book Australia, 2001, ABS Cat. No. 1301.0 & Marriages, Australia, 2004, ABS Cat. No. 3105.0.65.001.
[ top ]
Cohabiting (de facto marriages)
Part of the trend towards fewer and delayed marriages can be attributed to an increasing propensity for Australians to cohabit in de facto relationships. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines de facto couples as those who live together as a couple but are not registered as married. Data specifically relating to de facto relationships were first collected during the 1982 Family Survey. At that time, 5% of all couples were de facto couples.5 This figure rose to 10.1% of all couple families in Australia at the time of the 1996 Census. By 2001 this proportion had increased to 12.4%.2
Figure 2.8 shows that de facto relationships are more popular among people aged between 25 and 34 years and the likelihood of being in a de facto relationship decreases with age. These patterns are true for both men and women. For the age group 15–24 years, more women than men are in de facto relationships and, in the older age groups, men slightly outnumber women.
Figure 2.8: Proportion of de facto partners by age group and gender, 2001
Source: Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2002, ABS Cat. No. 3310.0.
Figures 2.9 and 2.10 show the distributions of de facto partnerships by the registered marital status of each male and female partner between 1991 and 2001. De facto relationships were mainly comprised of men and women who had never been married or were divorced. Over time, the proportions of men and women who were in de facto marriages and were 'never married' had increased, whereas the proportions of de facto partners who were 'separated' had decreased.
Figure 2.9: Female de facto partners by registered marital status, 1991–2001
Source: Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2002, ABS Cat. No. 3310.0.
Totals may not add to 100% as a small minority of people reported both living with a de facto partner and being married. These figures have not been included.
Figure 2.10: Male de facto partners by registered marital status, 1991–2001
Source: Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2002, ABS Cat. No. 3310.0.
Totals may not add to 100% as a small minority of people reported both living with a de facto partner and being married. These figures have not been included.
[ top ]
Divorce
The prevalence of divorce
At the 2001 Census count, 619,476 women aged 15 years and over were divorced. An additional 277,399 were separated. The number of divorced and separated women in 2001 represented 11.8% of the female population aged 15 years and over.6
Trends in the divorce rate
In 2005, there were 52,399 divorces granted in Australia.7 Figure 2.11 shows that crude divorce rates were fairly low during the early decades of last century. A peak in the crude divorce rate followed the introduction of the Family Law Act 1975 between 1976 and 1980 as the backlog of divorce applications were finalised. Since then the crude divorce rate has remained fairly stable, fluctuating between 2.5 and 2.9. In 2005 the crude divorce rate was 2.6.
Figure 2.11: Crude divorce rate, 1905–2005
Source: Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2006, ABS Cat. No. 3105.0.65.001, Table 97.
Coinciding with an increasing age at marriage has been an increasing age at divorce. Table 2.2 shows the age-specific crude divorce rates for women between 1983 and 2005. In 1983, women aged 25–29 years experienced the highest divorce rate, followed by those aged between 30 and 34 years. In 2005, women's marriages were most likely to end between the ages of 35 and 44 years.
Table 2.2: Age-specific crude divorce rates for women, 1983-2005
| AGE GROUP |
1983 |
1993 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| 24 and under |
4.3 |
2.3 |
1.1 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
| 25-29 |
15.9 |
12.5 |
8.5 |
8.0 |
7.3 |
| 30-34 |
15.0 |
13.9 |
13.1 |
12.5 |
11.8 |
| 35-39 |
13.3 |
13.2 |
13.1 |
13.0 |
12.9 |
| 40-44 |
10.9 |
11.5 |
12.3 |
12.2 |
12.1 |
| 45-49 |
8.2 |
9.4 |
10.5 |
10.5 |
10.3 |
| 50-54 |
5.2 |
5.9 |
7.3 |
7.6 |
7.7 |
| 55-59 |
3.2 |
3.2 |
4.7 |
4.7 |
4.9 |
| 60-64 |
1.9 |
1.9 |
2.8 |
2.9 |
2.9 |
| 65 and over |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
Source: Divorces, Australia, 2003, 2004 & 2005, ABS Cat. No. 3307.0.55.001.
The increasing age at divorce can also be seen in changes in the median age of divorce. The median age at divorce has increased from 34.5 years in 1954 to 40.8 years in 2005.8
Remarriage
In 2004, about one-quarter of all marriages consisted of at least one person who had previously been married, compared to 12% of marriages in 1974 (Figure 2.12). Previously married women were slightly less likely than previously married men to remarry. For example, in 2004, 23.1% of brides and 24.4% of grooms were divorced or widowed prior to their respective remarriages.9
Figure 2.12: Proportion of marriages consisting of divorced and widowed men and women at remarriage, 1974 and 2004
Source: Marriages, Australia, ABS Cat. No. 3306.0.55.001, data available on request.
[ top ]
Caring for children
A common method for assessing who cares for children in families is to measure the time mothers and fathers spend in activities that they undertake in relation to their children. This is usually undertaken through time-use studies. The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted time-use studies in 1992 and 199710 and has undertaken another time-use study during 2006.11
Table 2.3 shows that in 1997, mothers spent more time on child care than did fathers. Caring for younger children involved more time investment by parents, as did having two or more children in the family.
Table 2.3: Average time per day fathers and mothers of children aged 0-14 years spent on child care, 1997
| |
FATHER
(HRS:MINS) |
MOTHER
(HRS:MINS) |
| Age of youngest child |
| – 0–4 years |
1:15 |
3:23 |
| – 5–9 years |
0:46 |
1:41 |
| – 10–14 years |
0:19 |
0:46 |
| Number of children |
| – One |
0:43 |
1:49 |
| – Two |
1:00 |
2:30 |
| – Three or more |
1:02 |
2:53 |
| Total 1997 |
0:54 |
2:21 |
Source: Australian Time Use Survey, 1997, ABS Cat. No. 4153.0, data available upon request.
Time-use diaries used in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children provide estimates of the time parents spent with children in 2004.12 The survey data are limited to parents of infants aged 3–19 months and children aged 4–5 years. Results from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children are not comparable to the Australian Time-Use Surveys due to variations in the study design, the sample, and in the coding of activities.
The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children found that in 2004, mothers spent an average of just over 15 hours per day with infant children and over 12 hours per day with 4–5 year old children (Table 2.4). This was approximately double the time that fathers spent with children.
Table 2.4 also shows that women who were not in the labour force spent the most time with children and that time decreased slightly as the number of hours in paid work increased. The difference between mothers not in the labour force and those employed full-time in the average time spent with children was 3.7 hours for infants and 3.9 hours for 4–5 year olds.
Fathers' time spent with children showed a modest relationship with maternal employment hours. Specifically, fathers spent a little more time with their children when mothers spent more time in paid work. Fathers spent the most time with children when mothers worked full-time hours.
Table 2.4: Average time child spent with mothers and fathers by mothers' work hours and age cohort of child, 2004
| |
MOTHER'S WORK HOURS |
| |
NOT EMPLOYED |
1–15 |
16–24 |
25–34 |
35 OR MORE |
TOTAL |
| Time spent with mother (hours per day) |
| – Infants |
15.9 |
14.7 |
13.8 |
13.7 |
12.2 |
15.2 |
| – 4–5 year cohort |
13.1 |
12.2 |
11.9 |
10.3 |
9.2 |
12.1 |
| Time spent with father (hours per day) |
| – Infants |
7.0 |
6.6 |
7.3 |
7.5 |
9.2 |
7.1 |
| – 4–5 year cohort |
5.9 |
5.3 |
6.7 |
6.2 |
7.7 |
6.1 |
Source: Baxter, J., Gray, M., Alexander, M., Strazdins, L., & Bittman, M. (Unpublished report). Mothers and fathers with young children: Paid employment, caring and wellbeing. An analysis of Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, Table 5.2.
[ top ]
Caring for other people
All carers
The results of the 2003 Disability, Ageing and Carers Survey showed that about 2.6 million Australians provided care to others who needed assistance because of old age or disability. Women comprised 54% of all carers.13 However, gender differences in caring interacted with age, as shown in Figure 2.13.
Figure 2.13: All carers, rates of caring for an elderly person or person with a disability by age and gender, 2003
Source: Disability, Ageing and Carers: Summary of Findings, Australia, 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4430.0, Table 27.
In 2003, there was little difference in the proportions of male and female carers up to the age of 34, with about 10% of the population caring for an elderly person or person with a disability. The likelihood of caring then increased with age for men and women but, between the ages of 35 and 64 years, the proportion of women undertaking caring was higher than the proportion of men. Caring by women peaked between the ages of 45 and 64 years, when approximately one in four women had caring responsibilities for elders and/or people with disabilities. After age 64 years, rates of caring among women rapidly declined and caring by men accelerated.
Primary carers
The highest levels of assistance to elderly people and people with disabilities are provided by primary carers. In 2003, about one in five carers (474,600) were primary carers.13
Table 2.5 shows that 71.3% of all primary carers were women. Table 2.5 also shows that women did the majority of primary care for disabled children and disabled or aged parents at all ages. Women were also more likely than men to care for their ageing or disabled partner, until after age 65 years, when a higher proportion (but still lower number) of men cared for a partner. However, 5.5% of female primary carers aged 65 or over were caring for a disabled child and a further 8.2% were still caring for one of their parents.
Table 2.5: Primary carers, relationship to main recipient of care by age and gender, 2003
| |
MEN |
WOMEN |
| RECIPIENT OF CARE |
15–44 YEARS |
45–64 YEARS |
65 YEARS AND OVER |
15–44 YEARS |
45–64 YEARS |
65 YEARS AND OVER |
| Disabled or aged partner |
10,200 |
27,600 |
43,900 |
19,800 |
45,700 |
49,700 |
| Child with a disability |
14,200 |
20,000 |
600 |
30,600 |
53,400 |
3,600 |
| Disabled or aged parent |
2,700 |
6,000 |
1,000 |
57,100 |
38,300 |
5,400 |
| Other |
4,100 |
3,500 |
2,200 |
7,200 |
20,700 |
6,800 |
| Total |
31,200 |
57,100 |
47,700 |
114,700 |
158,100 |
65,500 |
Source: Disability, Ageing and Carers: Summary of Findings, Australia, 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4430.0, Table 30.
In 2003, the majority (58.2%) of female primary carers spent 20 hours per week or more undertaking care of an elderly person or a person with a disability, including 39.5% who spent in excess of 40 hours per week engaged in these duties.14
Other characteristics of female primary carers are listed in Table 2.6. Compared to women who were not carers, women with primary caring responsibilities had a lower labour force participation rate, had a lower median gross income per week, and were more likely to have a government pension or allowance as their principal source of income.
Table 2.6: Female primary carers and women who were not carers, selected characteristics, 2003
| CHARACTERISTIC |
PRIMARY CARER |
NOT A CARER |
| Principal source of income (%) |
| – Wages or salary |
25.9 |
46.1 |
| – Unincorporated business income |
4.8 |
4.9 |
| – Government pension or allowance |
55.7 |
30.3 |
| – Other and not stated |
13.6 |
18.7 |
| Median gross income per week ($) |
233.7 |
300.4 |
| Labour force status (%) |
| – Employed full-time |
14.0 |
30.1 |
| – Employed part-time |
24.0 |
26.4 |
| – Unemployed |
0.9 |
3.2 |
| – Not in the labour force |
61.1 |
40.3 |
| Labour force participation rate (%) |
38.9 |
59.7 |
Source: Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2003, ABS Cat. No. 4430.0, data available on request.
[ top ]
Household work
The most accurate estimates of the time spent in household work are derived through time-use surveys.15 The most recent time-use data in Australia were collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics during the 1997 Time-Use Survey, which showed that even when women worked full-time, they spent a lot more time doing housework than their partners did.16
Estimates of the time Australians spent in household work in 2001–2003 were also collected as part of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey.17 Respondents were asked to report how much time per week they spent on housework and household errands (cleaning the house, washing, preparing meals and clean-up, ironing, sewing and doing errands such as shopping and banking) and outdoor work (home and car maintenance and gardening). Table 2.7 reproduces the HILDA Survey results, which confirm the findings of the 1997 Australian Time-Use Survey that women do the majority of housework and men do the majority of outdoor maintenance. When combined, the time women spent in all household work was more than the time men spent in those tasks. Gender differences were most pronounced for partnered men and women. Thus, living with a partner increased the time spent in household work for women more than for men, particularly for women employed part-time. On average, partnered women spent nearly 30 hours per week and partnered men about 15 hours per week in household work.
Among partnered women, those not in the labour force spent the most time in housework and outdoor tasks, followed by unemployed women. Partnered women employed part-time spent about eight hours more engaged in household work than partnered women employed full-time.
Table 2.7: Average weekly hours spent in housework and household errands and outdoor tasks by partner status, employment status and gender, 2003
| |
TIME SPENT IN HOUSEWORK AND HOUSEHOLD ERRANDS (HOURS PER WEEK) |
TIME SPENT IN OUTDOOR TASKS (HOURS PER WEEK) |
| |
MEN |
WOMEN |
MEN |
WOMEN |
| Living with partner |
| – Employed full-time |
8.0 |
16.9 |
5.1 |
2.7 |
| – Employed part-time |
9.6 |
24.3 |
6.3 |
3.3 |
| – Unemployed |
17.0 |
27.6 |
8.4 |
3.5 |
| – Not in the labour force |
11.1 |
30.9 |
9.3 |
4.1 |
| Total |
9.0 |
25.2 |
6.3 |
3.5 |
| No partner |
| – Employed full-time |
7.7 |
10.8 |
3.0 |
2.2 |
| – Employed part-time |
5.9 |
10.3 |
2.2 |
1.8 |
| – Unemployed |
8.8 |
14.9 |
3.6 |
2.1 |
| – Not in the labour force |
10.3 |
19.3 |
3.9 |
3.7 |
| Total |
8.2 |
14.3 |
3.1 |
2.7 |
Source: B. Headey, D. Warren & G. Harding (2006). Families, incomes and jobs: A statistical report of the HILDA survey. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
In couples where both partners worked full-time, women spent seven hours per week more than men doing housework and household errands (Figure 2.14). Men did the majority of outdoor maintenance, but the time men spent doing these tasks was less than the time women spent doing housework and errands.
Figure 2.14: Average hours per week couples spent in housework and household errands and outdoor tasks when both partners worked full-time by gender, 2003
Source: B. Headey, D. Warren & G. Harding (2006). Families, incomes and jobs: A statistical report of the HILDA survey. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
[ top ]
Managing work and family
Flexible work arrangements
Figure 2.15 shows that in 2005, Australian parents used a variety of work arrangements to care for their children and those arrangements varied by gender and family type. Mothers were far more likely than fathers to use one of a number of working arrangements to assist with child care – 67% of fathers in couple families, in comparison to 26% of mothers, did not use any work arrangements to allow them to attend to child care responsibilities.
Flexible work hours was the most popular arrangement used by both mothers and fathers, especially lone fathers. Couple mothers used these arrangements more often than couple fathers.
Working part-time was the second most popular option for over a third of couple and lone mothers, whereas only small proportions of lone and couple fathers used this arrangement. Fathers were more likely to work from home than to work part-time. Shiftwork and job sharing were used less frequently as a means to manage work and family commitments.
Figure 2.15: Work arrangements used to care for a child in couple and lone families with children aged 0–12 with at least one parent employed, 2005
Source: Child Care, Australia, 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4402.0 (Reissue), Table 23.
Figure 2.16 shows the use of working arrangements to enable care for children has increased for both fathers and mothers between 1996 and 2005.
Figure 2.16: Use of working arrangements to care for children 1996–2005
Source: Child Care, Australia, ABS Cat. No. 4402.0 (Years 2002 and 2005 Reissue).
[ top ]
Paid and unpaid leave
The Australian Bureau of Statistics Pregnancy and Employment Transitions Survey collected data on the type and duration of leave taken by employed women and their partners who had a child younger than two years of age and took a break from work when their child was born. The results are shown in Tables 2.8 and 2.9.
Upon the birth of their child, mothers were most likely to use a combination of paid and unpaid parental leave, whereas paid leave was the most common form of leave used by their partners. The majority (66%) of paid leave taken by mothers' partners was annual/recreation/long service leave. One-third of partners (34%) used paid paternity/parenting leave.18
Table 2.8: Type of leave taken by mothers when child was born, 2005
| |
NUMBER |
% OF LEAVE |
| TYPE OF LEAVE |
|
|
| Paid maternity |
101,000 |
46.5 |
| Other paid leave |
81,000 |
37.3 |
| Unpaid maternity/time away |
155,000 |
71.4 |
| Other unpaid leave |
31,000 |
14.3 |
| Total leave taken |
217,000 |
100.0 |
Source: Pregnancy and Employment Transitions, Australia, November 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4913.0, Table 10.
Totals may not add up to 100% as women may have taken a combination of leave types.
Table 2.9: Type of leave taken by mothers' partners when child was born, 2005
| |
NUMBER |
% OF LEAVE |
| TYPE OF LEAVE |
|
|
| Paid leave only |
192,000 |
64.9 |
| Unpaid leave only |
84,000 |
28.4 |
| Both paid and unpaid leave |
14,000 |
4.7 |
| Leave not further defined |
6,000 |
2.0 |
| Total leave taken |
296,000 |
100.0 |
Source: Pregnancy and Employment Transitions, Australia, November 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4913.0, Table 24.
The duration of leave taken by mothers and their partners when their child was born is shown in Figures 2.17 and 2.18. The figures show that the majority of women took leave for six months or more, whereas career breaks of longer than two weeks were rare for men.
Figure 2.17: Duration of leave taken by mothers for birth of their child, 2005
Source: Pregnancy and Employment Transitions, Australia, November 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4913.0, Table 10.
Figure 2.18: Duration of leave taken by partners for birth of child, 2005
Source: Pregnancy and Employment Transitions, Australia, November 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4913.0, Table 24.
Formal and informal child care
The Australian Bureau of Statistics Child Care Survey collects information about the use of non-parental child care. The surveys have been conducted in 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005. In 2005, the survey included children aged between 0 and 12 years. The scope of previous surveys was children aged between 0 and 11 years.
[ top ]
How many children receive child care?
In June 2005, the number of Australian children aged between 0 and 12 years who received non-parental child care was 1,553,400, representing 45.8% of all children in that age range.19 Over half (54.2%) of those children used informal care only, 28.9% received formal care only and 16.9% used a combination of formal and informal care.20
The use of child care and the type of child care used varied according to the age of the child (Table 2.10). The use of child care peaked at ages 2 and 3 years, when over 70% of all children in these age groups received some type of care. The use of child care was lowest for children aged less than 1 year and for children aged 9 years and over. Formal child care only and a combination of formal and informal child care were most common for children aged between 2 and 4 years. The use of informal child care only showed little variation according to the age of the child. Across most ages, approximately one-quarter of all children received informal child care only in 2005.
Table 2.10: The proportion of children who received child care by age of child and type of care, 2005
| |
AGE OF CHILD (YEARS) |
| |
LESS THAN 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6-8 |
9-12 |
| USE OF CHILD CARE |
% OF CHILDREN |
| Total children who used care |
34.3 |
60.6 |
70.6 |
70.6 |
62.8 |
46.2 |
43.5 |
31.3 |
| – Formal care only |
4.9 |
17.7 |
27.9 |
32.7 |
24.1 |
13.8 |
11.1 |
5.2 |
| – Informal care only |
27.4 |
29.6 |
24.3 |
17.1 |
25.0 |
24.5 |
26.9 |
23.6 |
| – Formal and informal care |
2.0* |
13.3 |
18.4 |
20.8 |
13.6 |
8.0 |
5.4 |
2.6 |
| Children who didn't use care |
65.7 |
39.4 |
29.4 |
29.4 |
37.2 |
53.8 |
56.5 |
68.7 |
| All children |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 1.
* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
More Australian children are now in non-parental child care than nearly a decade ago. Between March 1996 and June 2005, there was a net increase of 88,600 in the number of children aged between 0 and 11 years who received child care. This was comprised of an additional 177,100 children who received formal care only (66% increase) and 80,500 more children who received a combination of formal and informal care (45% increase). The number of children who received informal care only decreased by 169,000.
Which families use child care?
Table 2.11 shows that the use of child care varied according to family type. The proportion of children in lone parent families using child care (55.6%) was higher than the proportion of children in couple families using child care (43.8%). Where children received child care, both lone and couple parents were more likely to use informal than formal child care.
Table 2.11: Proportion of children aged 0-12 years by type of care and family type, 2005
| |
COUPLE FAMILY (%) |
LONE PARENT FAMILY (%) |
| Children who used formal care only |
13.2 |
13.4 |
| Children who used informal care only |
23.7 |
30.2 |
| Children who used both formal and informal care |
6.9 |
11.9 |
| Children who didn't use child care |
56.2 |
44.4 |
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 3.
Totals may not add to 100% due to rounding.
Types of formal child care used
Figure 2.19 shows that the most commonly used types of formal care were long day care and before and/or after school care. Over the period March 1996 to June 2005, the numbers of children aged 0-11 years who attended before and/or after school care increased from 111,700 to 227,000, an increase of 115,300 or 103%. Over the same period, the number of children who attended long day care increased by 146,000 (82%), from 177,700 to 323,800. There were no other substantial changes in the numbers of children attending other types of formal care between 1996 and 2005.
Figure 2.19: Number of children aged 0–11 years by type of formal care 1996–2005
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 27.
[ top ]
The use of formal child care and the type of child care used varied according to the age of the child (Table 2.12). The use of formal child care for very young children (up to 1 year of age) was low. Between the ages of 1 and 4 years, the use of formal child care in long day centres was higher, peaking at age 3. At age 5, when most children have started preschool or primary school, the use of long day care centres tapered off and the usage of before and/or after school care increased.
Table 2.12: Proportion of children who received formal child care by age of child and type of formal care, 2005
| |
AGE OF CHILD (YEARS) |
| |
LESS THAN 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6-8 |
9-12 |
| TYPE OF CARE |
% OF CHILDREN |
| Before/after school |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0.8* |
13.6 |
14.8 |
6.9 |
| Long day care |
4.5 |
21.0 |
29.9 |
37.6 |
27.7 |
6.0 |
0.5* |
0.2* |
| Family day care |
1.6* |
7.1 |
10.8 |
10.7 |
6.0 |
2.2* |
0.8* |
0.4* |
| Occasional care |
0.8* |
3.2 |
5.2 |
5.8 |
3.8 |
0.2* |
0.2* |
0.2* |
| Other formal care |
0.1* |
0.8* |
1.8* |
1.6* |
1.2* |
0.4* |
0.4* |
0.1* |
| Total children |
6.9 |
31.0 |
46.3 |
53.4 |
37.8 |
21.8 |
16.6 |
7.7 |
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 1.
* Estimates have a relative standard error of 25% or higher and should be used with caution.
The average time children spent in formal child care in 2005 was 13.6 hours per week.19 Figure 2.20 shows that the majority of children used formal child care for less than 20 hours per week. The proportion of children who used formal child care for 35 hours per week or more was 7.3%.
Figure 2.20: Proportion of children aged 0-12 years by weekly hours of formal care, 2005
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 4.
Types of informal child care used
In relation to informal care, grandparents are the main providers (Table 2.13). Approximately one-third of all children aged 1–2 years and one-quarter of all children aged younger than one year and between 3–4 years were cared for by grandparents. After children reached school age, they were less likely to be cared for by grandparents.
The average time children spent in informal child care was 15 hours per week and the median time spent in informal child care was seven hours per week. Figure 2.21 shows that the distribution of time spent in informal child care is positively skewed, whereby 57.8% of children received informal care for less than 10 hours a week. There was also a relatively high proportion (8.1%) of children who received informal care for 45 hours or more per week.
Figure 2.21: Proportion of children aged 0–12 years by weekly hours of informal care, 2005
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 4.
Table 2.13: Proportion of children who received informal child care by age of child and provider of care, 2005
| |
AGE OF CHILD (YEARS) |
| |
LESS THAN 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6-8 |
9-12 |
| PROVIDER OF CARE |
% OF CHILDREN |
| Grandparent |
22.9 |
33.2 |
30.7 |
26.2 |
26.8 |
17.8 |
17.1 |
12.0 |
| Brother/sister |
- |
0.4* |
0.4* |
0.2* |
0.5* |
1.5* |
1.7 |
3.5 |
| Other relative |
4.2 |
6.7 |
7.8 |
7.7 |
7.2 |
8.3 |
8.9 |
6.4 |
| Other person |
4.1 |
5.2 |
6.4 |
5.6 |
6.2 |
7.3 |
6.9 |
5.9 |
| Total |
29.4 |
42.8 |
42.7 |
37.9 |
38.6 |
32.4 |
32.3 |
26.2 |
Source: Child Care, Australia, June 2005 (Reissue), ABS Cat. No. 4402.0, Table 1.
* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 25%.
[ top ]
Why do parents use child care?
The use of formal and informal child care is strongly related to women's employment status. Figure 2.22 shows that, in families where the father was employed, less than a third of all children younger than 13 years of age received child care when the mother was not employed. The proportion of children receiving child care increased to 51% in families where the mother was employed part-time and nearly two-thirds of children in families where mothers worked full-time received child care.
Figure 2.22: Families with father employed—proportion of children aged 0–12 years using formal and informal child care by employment status of mother, 2005
Source: Child Care, Australia, 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4402.0 (Reissue), Table 21.
These data are consistent with the main reasons given by parents for using child care. For nearly two-thirds of all parents using formal child care, 'workrelated' was the main reason given for child care use. 'Work-related' was also the main reason given by parents for using informal care, although a high proportion of children also received informal child care for 'personal' reasons (Table 2.14).
Table 2.14: Main reasons for using child care by type of care, 2005
| TYPE OF CARE USED |
WORK-RELATEDa
(%) |
PERSONALb
(%) |
BENEFICIAL FOR CHILDc
(%) |
OTHER
(%) |
| Formal |
64.5 |
14.9 |
16.9 |
3.7 |
| Informal |
47.9 |
34.3 |
3.7 |
14.2 |
Source: Child Care, Australia, 2005, ABS Cat. No. 4402.0 (Reissue), Tables 6 and 7.
a 'Work related' included 'looking for work' and 'work-related study/training'.
b 'Personal' included 'other study/training', 'sport', 'shopping', 'entertainment/social activity', 'give parents(s) a break/ time alone', 'voluntary/community activity', 'caring for relatives', 'ill/in hospital/visited doctor/dentist', 'other parentrelated matter'.
c 'Beneficial for child' included 'good for child' and 'prepare for school'.
Note: Parents who gave 'personal', 'beneficial for child', or 'other' reasons for using child care may have also been working.
[ top ]
Grandparents raising children
Grandparents become the guardians of their grandchildren largely because of court decisions or informal arrangements between grandparents and parents or authorities.21
In 2003, there were 22,500 Australian families in which grandparents were the guardians of 31,100 grandchildren aged 17 years or under (Table 2.15). The majority of families were comprised of one or two children aged between 5 and 11 years. Most grandparent carers were aged 55 years or over (61.3%). Almost half of grandparent families (47%) were lone grandparent families and the majority of those lone grandparents were women (93%).2 In two-thirds of grandparent families, affecting two-thirds of all children being cared for by grandparents, neither grandparent was employed.
Table 2.15: Grandparent families caring for children aged 0-17 years, 2003
| |
GRANDPARENT FAMILIES |
CHILDREN IN GRANDPARENT FAMILIES |
| |
NUMBER |
% |
NUMBER |
% |
| Age of youngest child |
| – 0-4 |
3,300 |
14.8 |
6,800 |
21.9 |
| – 5-11 |
8,400 |
37.4 |
11,500 |
36.8 |
| – 12-14 |
8,000 |
35.8 |
9,800 |
31.5 |
| – 15-17 |
2,700 |
12.1 |
3,000 |
9.7 |
| Labour force status |
| – One or both grandparents employed |
7,600 |
33.8 |
10,100 |
32.5 |
| – No grandparent employed |
14,900 |
66.2 |
21,000 |
67.5 |
| Total |
22,500 |
100.0 |
31,100 |
100.0 |
Source: Australia's Welfare 2005, AIHW Cat. No. AUS65.
[ top ]
References