Women empower women: Volunteers and their clients in community service

The study is aimed at examining the relationship between psychological empowerment of women volunteers and their clients in community volunteer projects in Israel. Based on an ecological approach, the study also aimed at examining whether the variables that explain empowerment of women who volunteer also explain empowerment of their clients. The sample included 148 women, who were divided into 74 volunteer-client pairs. Psychological empowerment of volunteers did not correlate significantly with psychological empowerment of clients. However, the volunteer women's motives for volunteering and the quality of the volunteer-client interaction correlated positively with psychological empowerment of the clients. Empowerment of volunteers was explained primarily by social motives, by the quality of interactions with their clients, and by the quality of the volunteer's interaction with the coordinator of volunteer activity. In light of the findings, practical recommendations are offered for empowering women volunteers and their clients in community settings.