London - It is seen as a way of giving something back.But many women take up charity work as much for their own good as that of others, a survey suggests.
While male volunteers tend to be following a cause close to their heart, their female counterparts are more interested in picking up new skills and improving job prospects, it found.
About 48 percent of the male charity workers surveyed by children’s charity Carefree Kids said a personal connection to a charity or its cause was a main motivation for helping. That compared with 29 percent of women.
However, 42 percent of female volunteers said their aim was to learn new skills and boost their CV – an answer given by less than a third of the men.
Carefree Kids, which helps children through play, hopes to use the poll of 300 Britons to increase the number of male volunteers.
Ros Kane, founder of the London-based charity, said: “It is encouraging to see that men are willing to give up time for causes that are close to their heart.
“Caring roles, or those working with children, are too often seen as suited to females and this idea is affecting primary schools as well as the volunteering sector.”
However, women may not be as hard-hearted as all that. The survey also found that, over time, female volunteers’ interest shifts from their CV to the cause they are working for. - Daily Mail