Volunteerism, Redistribution and Gender

Abstract

We explore whether, and to what extent, individuals respond to increased transitory or permanent inequality in regional income by offering more unpaid voluntary work. We find strong evidence that women, but not men, are more likely to supply such work, both at the extensive and intensive margin, if they live in areas that experience persistently high-income inequality. Our analysis suggests that women are intrinsically inequality averse and may regard voluntary work as a way of achieving a more equitable income distribution. JEL Classifications: D64, I30.