Charity Starts at Home ...

Charity study: More women than men donate

INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) -- Women at all income levels are more likely to contribute to charities than men are, a U.S. study found.

The report by the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University compares philanthropic giving between men and women across all income levels based on a nationally representative sample, a release by the institute said.

"Looking at giving across five different income groups, which range roughly from $23,000 to $100,000 a year, it is clear that it is not only wealthy women who give," said institute director Debra J. Mesch. "Women across nearly every income category give significantly more than their male counterparts -- in many cases, nearly twice as much."

The institute analyzed only giving in households headed by single people in order to examine gender differences.

Never-married and divorced women were more likely to give and to give more than males of the same marital status; however, widowed men give more than widowed women, the study found.

"These findings have the potential to affect both donors and charities significantly," Mesch said. "Women may not realize they are giving more than men because their giving patterns differ. Understanding the power of their giving may encourage more women to consider the difference they can make with their giving." Copyright 2010 by United Press International