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A 2003 survey of giving in South Africa asked respondents if they had contributed money to a cause, a charity or an organisation in the last month.
In Everratt and Solanki’s summary of the survey findings they report that women did not differ much from men in terms of the causes to which they donated their money.
Perceptions regarding the most deserving causes varied little across gender. Women and men agreed on the rank of the top three worthy causes: these were youth, HIV/AIDS and the poor.
Significantly, the same survey showed that women tend to donate time while men were more inclined to give money. This finding is echoed in a recent report by Wilkinson-Maposa et al on giving among the poor. The work suggests that impoverished South African women are more likely to provide non-material help to other community members, whereas men were more likely to offer money.
Gender’s influence on patterns of giving was dominant and overshadowed the effects of age, marital status or employment status. It is not clear to what extent these observed discrepancies in giving behaviour were attributable to inequalities in access to resources versus different social habits and rules.
A large proportion of South African philanthropy is inspired by the faith and religious allegiance of individuals. The 2003 survey suggests that 80% of donated funds are given to, or directed via, churches, mosques and synagogues. In a chapter on giving and religion Maharaj et al note that while women have long been pivotal in helping to generate contributions and charity within religious institutions, they have only recently started to participate in decisions regarding the allocation of donated funds and goods.
Ronelle Burger is a researcher with the Economics Department of Stellenbosch University; she is on leave to complete her PhD at Nottingham University.
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