GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EMERGENCY VOLUNTEERING

The main goal of the study was to examine gender differences in the emergency volunteer experiences of Israeli men (n = 180) and women (n = 305) who volunteered during Operation Protective Edge (military operation). We examined the experience of volunteering from different perspectives: antecedents of volunteering, feelings at the time of the event, and aspects related to volunteering in the future. For both genders, the main motive for volunteering was social solidarity, but personal empowerment was a stronger motive for men. The expected frequency of future volunteer activity and the willingness to volunteer in a field similar to the one in Operation Protective Edge were higher for men than women. The women's future intentions to volunteer were explained mainly by antecedents of volunteering such as motives for volunteering, whereas the men's intentions were explained mostly by the experience of volunteering itself.