Women are more likely to give than men.

A new study from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University challenges the old notion that men give more than women.

When looking at female-headed households, WPI found women are more likely or as likely to give as male-headed households in every charitable sector, but saw a significant variance in some sectors.

The gender gap was greatest in the international, community, religion, health care, and youth and family sectors—with women being a whopping 55% more likely to give to an international cause than men.

Percent by which women are more likely to give by sector:

• 55% International
• 51% Community
• 42% Religious Institutions
• 38% Health care
• 32% Youth or Family
• 31% Education
• 18% Helping people in Need
• 14% Combined purposes (i.e., United Way)

Source: Causes Women Support, Women’s Philanthropy Institute, December 7, 2010

WPI Director Debra Mesch says “Clearly, gender matters in philanthropy. Women and men are both engaged, but their giving priorities are different. Additional research will help us better understand why women are more likely to give to certain types of organizations.”

We look forward to seeing further research from WPI—in the meantime, we’ll be testing new strategies to recruit, retain, and upgrade women donors.

Check out the study at Indiana University.