Mums with part-time jobs make up 55 per cent of all volunteers in Australia, with the highest rate of unpaid work in the country.
If you have recently attended a charity function or bought raffle tickets to support an event at the nearby primary school, it may not come as a surprise to learn that mums are often the unsung heroes behind these fundraisers.
According to new data released from the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier this week (December 1), it seems that the fairer sex is leading the way when it comes to volunteering.
In 2010, more than one-third of Australians did some kind of volunteer based work, with women volunteering more than men.
About 36 per cent of people over the age of 18 participated in charity work during the course of the year of which 38 per cent were female and 34 per cent male.
And despite the pressures of juggling busy workloads and family commitments the vast majority of volunteers were also employed.
Of those who willingly gave unpaid help – which could be in the form of time, service or skills – to an organisation or group 44 per cent already held full-time positions.
Part-timers accounted for 38 per cent, compared to 20 per cent of those who are unemployed and 31 per cent of people that aren't in the labour force.
Working women in part-time roles had high volunteer rates, with almost 50 per cent of all individuals in this group donating their time to different causes.
But it was mums with school-aged kids and a job on the side that did the most unpaid work in their local communities – they recorded the highest rate of participation in voluntary work across the nation.
This means they are not only looking after their own kids, but also taking the time to watch their children's peers.
Activities that were run by sport and recreation organisations – which in other words mean your local football or netball team – attracted the most volunteers.
Dads were also great when it came to helping out with umpiring or coaching duties, as well as at major sporting carnivals.
Retirees were more likely to be found doing work for your local welfare or community organisation and a large number of people took time-out to assist someone close to them with a disability or long term health condition and in need of care.
Yet perhaps the most interesting observation to come out of the ABS Voluntary Work in Australia 2010 report was the fact that kids often follow in their parents volunteering footsteps.
Lisa Hyden says
Nice post! Yes, mums are always great. No one can take place of mums in this world.
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