Where the Boys Aren't, Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Sojourners
"Why do so many more women than men enter voluntary service?" asks contributing writer Holly Lebowitz in the progressive Christian magazine, Sojourners. Traditionally, women volunteered more than men because they didn't or couldn't have jobs and careers, but now that doesn't apply. Rossi points out that "there is enormous socioeconomic pressure on men to immediately earn a salary after college." She also notes, however, that even with the money allocated to service programs such as AmeriCorps, fewer men than women sign up to join. Rossi asserts that men do not see service as a viable option. "Breaking this perception barrier presents a challenge to volunteer recruitment efforts," she writes. And, the numbers reflect the challenge. From the Jesuit Volunteer Corp to the Mennonite Voluntary Service and from the American Jewish World Service to AmeriCorps, women outnumber men.
--Sara V. Buckwitz
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