October 21, 2010; Source: USA Today | Time to fess up men. When it comes to giving, compared to women, you are much more miserly. A new study from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy finds that women are more likely to give than men, and the average size of donations beats them out in four of the five different income groups studied.

For instance, among individuals earning between $43,500 to $67,532, the average donation for women was $728, compared to $373 for men. What makes women seemingly more big-hearted than men? Among the reasons is that women “have just been socialized as the care-givers in their families to be more empathetic and altruistic,” says Debra Mesch, director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. “I think this is being manifested in giving to charity.” To Paulette Maehara, president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the study is an indication that women are earning more money and have more to give.

Other key findings from Women Give 2010 that USA Today reports include: “never-married and divorced women more likely to give than their male counterparts, and they gave more. Widows were less likely to give than widowers.”—Bruce Trachtenberg