The Hidden Economy: Addressing Australia’s Domestic Work and Care Divide
06.09.2026 - 11:12
Mandala’s research, in partnership with DoorDash Australia, examines the scale and distribution of Australia's unpaid household labour, the real costs it imposes on individuals and the economy, and the role that emerging technologies and policy reform could play in reducing and more equitably sharing that burden.
Australian households spend an average of 26 hours per week on unpaid household labour, equal to the time spent on paid employment, yet this work remains largely invisible in conventional economic statistics. Valued at the market wage, it would be worth around $1 trillion, or 37 per cent of GDP.
High levels of unpaid household labour carry real costs for individuals. 42% of Australians report balancing work and family as the primary cause of feeling time-pressed. Heavy care and domestic work burdens are also linked to poorer mental and physical health outcomes, as well as reduced workforce participation and lifetime earnings.
The burden of care and domestic work is not shared equally. Women, low-income households, parents, and primary carers perform up to 22 hours more unpaid labour per week than the population average. Women with young children in low-income households sit at the intersection of these groups and can face compounding pressures and even higher levels of unpaid labour.
Emerging technologies offer a growing set of tools to reduce the time spent on domestic tasks. For example, online food and grocery delivery services such as DoorDash could save the average person 30 hours per year on travel, cooking and meal preparation, and grocery shopping.
Expanding automation could reduce the time spent on domestic tasks by up to 8 hours per week by 2036, unlocking $2.5 billion in economic output. If these gains are realised, individuals could redirect time to paid work, leisure, care, or supporting their mental and physical health.
However, realising the potential of technology, and ensuring the gains are equitably shared, is not guaranteed. Historical trends show that time-saving technologies alone do not automatically reduce domestic workloads, as persistent gender norms and changing cultural standards can offset efficiency gains.
Government can help address the structural causes of inequalities in care and domestic work through five priority reform areas.
Read the full report here.
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