Home Self Life After College Reasons Behind the Rising Number of Women Volunteers
Voluntourism is the experience of travel combined with volunteering. It allows you to experience new cultures and countries while at the same time giving back. It is a new way to travel, and many people are becoming patrons of this new travel movement.
Forrester Research published a report in 2007 entitled "Go Away and Do Good: Voluntourism the Noble Niche". Travel analyst, Henry Harteveldt, presented that approximately 3.5 million Americans were involved in voluntourism, and the NBCNews.com also points to findings that these values have tripled in 2014. This being said, voluntourism is an experience that more and more people are committing to.
Another interesting finding from Volunteering Solutions is that 76% of travel junkies getting into Voluntourism are women, which begs the question - why is there a rising number of women volunteers?
Let's look at the reasons behind the growing number of women who are "voluntouring".
They know how to manage time
Women are more organized, and usually carry the habit of making the necessary bookings and registrations in advance, providing proper time to prepare themselves for the project. This helps them to organize their personal lives, work goals, and volunteer work better.
And brilliant at money management too
Women are usually in charge of managing the household responsibilities, which is an indirect training on the financial demands of volunteer work, especially one that involves travel. They are the house-makers (mostly) and manage the budget of their house. They very well know what to spend on and how much.
Understand their priorities well
Women would not mind over timing or skipping an excursion over a weekend in case project requires more time as that's their main objective.
Bonds more easily on the emotional level
Women are supposed to have better communication skills and emotional intelligence than men. A lot of women tend to be group-oriented, and are able to bond with a number of people better. Men are less able to pick up emotional cues unless they're clearly verbalized, which is something that can't be expected every time during a volunteer work. It requires a great amount of emotional connection to be able to execute this act of altruism in the most effective manner.
Flexible when it comes to optimizing the itinerary at the last moment
Sure they plan everything before embarking for the journey, but definitely do not shy away from last moment changes, and adapt very well to it. While many men are sharply left-brain dominant, women have the tendency to be more evenly balanced between left and right-brain processing. This makes them more intuitive and able to adjust to situations.
Adjustment is a part of their everyday life
They can adjust with tightest of the conditions pretty well. When faced with stressful situations, men are very straightforward and would usually employ 'fight or flight' tactics. Women are known to employ a 'tend or befriend' response that comes from their motherly instincts.
Adaptive in Culture and Language
Women can get intrigued by things as small and generic as a differently prepared sushi or the kind of clothes native women wear. This prompts them to travel more, to discover more. Women are also more inclined to learn a new language than men, which is very important to voluntourism. Women shine at language-based tasks because scientifically, the two brain areas that process language are larger in females.
Sometimes one needs to discover themselves
Although women do not have to prove themselves for being an equally strong and independent gender as men; however, in a male dominating society, sometimes it is required to prove that they can handle life all by themselves, and, at times, in a much better way.
Taking bold steps has its own perks
Women get an incredible amount of offers as they are known to be the main consumer of a household. Special discounts for women at several occasions, such as cheaper airfares, shopping discounts, relaxation on restaurant bills, is no less a motivation in itself to finalize on that trip.
These and many more such reasons are behind the idea that women are leading the volunteering world. Women are more inclined to act on their desires to donate their time and effort, and I am glad that many women are grabbing that opportunity. Whether doing it in your neighborhood or flying out of the country into another that needs your presence, any kind of help will surely be appreciated. Join the movement and be part of this amazing group of women!
Author
Abbi Gabasa is the Managing Editor of MsCareerGirl.com and owner of UpraisedLiving.com. Having the background of a Marketing and Public Relations Manager with years of professional experience in various industries has given her an insightful perspective on careers, lifestyles, relationships, and attitudes which she humorously applies in helping people through her writing. Abbi is a training life coach, and an advocate of children's charities, women empowerment, optimistic thinking, and slow Sundays. A self-confessed Jane of all trades, she hopes to help girls all over the world find their calling and pursue their passions.
