Women Give Big

   By drodriguez  May 13, 2009

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 As women, donating time and money to a worthy cause may just be part of our nature.  It has been well documented that women tend to give more than men and married women tend to steer their partners in that direction too.  A recent article from the Wall Street Journal, The Giving Gene, discusses the role women play as philanthropists. 

A study published in the International Journal of Educational Advancement reported that single women donate about the same amount of money to charities as married couples and married couples give about 13 percent more than single men. 

And it’s not just money that women are generous with.   A Corporation for National and Community Service study reveals that single women are about one and a half times more likely to volunteer their time than men.  Married women with part time jobs were found to volunteer at the highest rates.

Patrick Rooney, director of research at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, believes that higher rates of philanthropic women may not be a coincidence.  Rooney reports, “Given that the behavior appears to be independent of income, it’s difficult to ignore the argument that altruism is more highly developed in women than in men.”

One example of a women-driven organization that is making large contributions to charities around the world is Women Moving Millions.  This organization has found success by encouraging wealthy women to make large donations starting at one million dollars to go toward bettering the lives of women and girls in need.  It has been reported that more than 90 women have made individual contributions of one million dollars or more to this organization since its launch in 2007.

What do you think of the studies that reveal women give more than men?

Do you find this to be the case in your circle of friends and family?