Study reveals women major donors to charity
Source: Agencies |
October 22, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WOMEN across nearly every income level gave significantly more to charity than men, nearly twice as much in some cases, according to a study by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in the United States.
Nonprofits have long suspected that women were the driving forces behind many of the gifts they receive. The results of this study are so decisive and consistent, they can stop wondering, said Debra Mesch, director of the university's Women's Philanthropy Institute.
The study offered several factors the researchers thought contributed to the growing generosity of women: More women are working and their incomes have grown, more have college degrees that yield greater earning power, and the percentage of women who make more money than their working husbands is now about 26 percent.
The study found women give more in every income bracket except one: Those with incomes of between US$23,509 and US$43,500.
The data used for the study was not broken down by gender, so researchers looked solely at households headed by single men or single women, including adults who have been divorced. They looked at the donating patterns of about 8,000 American households.
Previous research has shown that women encourage their husbands to give to charity and that women seem to be making a lot of charitable decisions in married households, but it's difficult to get hard data on those trends.
"I think the general assumption is that women might be more likely to give, but that they give less money," Mesch said.
That assumption is only half true, according to the analysis of data from a 2007 Center on Philanthropy study. Women gave more often than men and spread out their giving to different charities, but they also give more in total dollars, Mesch said.
Suzie Upton, chief development officer of the American Heart Association, said her organization had no data showing women are more generous donors than men, even though the Dallas-based nonprofit targets women in its fundraising campaigns.
"We target lots of our efforts to women, not because they are more generous, but because they are the decision makers for themselves and for their families," Upton said.
The American Red Cross also has targeted women for bigger gifts throughout its history, but added a donor group just for women in 2005.
Nonprofits have long suspected that women were the driving forces behind many of the gifts they receive. The results of this study are so decisive and consistent, they can stop wondering, said Debra Mesch, director of the university's Women's Philanthropy Institute.
The study offered several factors the researchers thought contributed to the growing generosity of women: More women are working and their incomes have grown, more have college degrees that yield greater earning power, and the percentage of women who make more money than their working husbands is now about 26 percent.
The study found women give more in every income bracket except one: Those with incomes of between US$23,509 and US$43,500.
The data used for the study was not broken down by gender, so researchers looked solely at households headed by single men or single women, including adults who have been divorced. They looked at the donating patterns of about 8,000 American households.
Previous research has shown that women encourage their husbands to give to charity and that women seem to be making a lot of charitable decisions in married households, but it's difficult to get hard data on those trends.
"I think the general assumption is that women might be more likely to give, but that they give less money," Mesch said.
That assumption is only half true, according to the analysis of data from a 2007 Center on Philanthropy study. Women gave more often than men and spread out their giving to different charities, but they also give more in total dollars, Mesch said.
Suzie Upton, chief development officer of the American Heart Association, said her organization had no data showing women are more generous donors than men, even though the Dallas-based nonprofit targets women in its fundraising campaigns.
"We target lots of our efforts to women, not because they are more generous, but because they are the decision makers for themselves and for their families," Upton said.
The American Red Cross also has targeted women for bigger gifts throughout its history, but added a donor group just for women in 2005.
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