Abstract
Canadian mothers and fathers with at least one child under 18 at home comprised 37% of all volunteers aged 15 or older in 1997, though only 31% of the population. The percentage of both mothers and fathers volunteering exceeded that of other women and men.
Parents attending religious services at least monthly were much more likely to volunteer than other parents, no matter what other characteristics they had: gender, province of residence, level of education, having been religiously active when young, and having had a parent who volunteered, for example.
The percentage of parents volunteering was highest among Lutherans, followed by Baptists, United Church affiliates, and Anglicans, and lowest among non-Christians, French and English Catholics, Presbyterians, and parents reporting no religious affiliation.
Except for lone parents, volunteering parents averaged about the same amount of time spent with their children per day than the non-volunteering parents. The weekly attendees at religious services tended to spend more time caring for their children than the monthly and infrequent attendees, whether or not they were volunteers. Volunteering parents were less inclined than other parents to report that they had no time for fun anymore, and the weekly attendees were least likely to report no time for fun.
Finally, this study reports estimates of the likelihood of both mothers and fathers to volunteer, and includes some policy implications in a conclusion.
In conclusion, volunteer leaders should take note of this study because many may not have been aware of the extent of the contribution of parents, especially with the new evidence that child care time and enjoyment of life of volunteering parents does not seem to suffer much as a result. Church leaders should be encouraged by the results that show that those who are highly committed to faith communities are also the ones most inclined to volunteer. They might also like to respond to the fact that volunteering is much more important in some faith communities than others. Community leaders and governments should take note of the over-representation of parents in volunteering, and the apparent positive role of faith communities, and provide incentives for such contributions, and beware of unintended disincentives directed at either parents or faith communities. Researchers and policy analysts should be encouraged to delve more deeply into volunteering by parents, a research area that has been almost completely neglected thus far in Canada, despite the availability of excellent databases of national scope. Detailed studies of time commitments, services provided, perceived personal benefits, and motivations for volunteering, and not volunteering, are examples of research opportunities. And perhaps most importantly, parents should be informed of, and perhaps rewarded for their major contribution to both volunteering and setting a good example for the future citizens and leaders of Canada, their children, while not neglecting their own care giving responsibilities.