Parents’ Giving Has Stronger Influence on Daughters Than on Sons, Study Finds

Title: Women Give 2018: Transmitting Generosity to Daughters and Sons

Organization: The Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis

Summary: Adult children whose parents give to charity are more likely to give, and the effect is stronger with daughters than sons, according to the study.

• Daughters’ likelihood of giving is 11.5 percentage points higher if their parents give frequently than if they give infrequently, while sons’ tendency to give is 5.4 percentage points higher if their parents give often.
• The effects are more pronounced with wealthier families. Among adult children whose parents have assets of more than $100,000, 92.4 percent of daughters give often if their parents do, compared with 65.4 percent when their higher net worth parents do not.
• Meanwhile, 87.5 percent of sons whose parents have assets of more than $100,000 give whether their parents do or not.