It is widely assumed that women are more charitable than men.

    A new poll puts a number on it: Wealthy women give away nearly twice as much of their wealth as their male counterparts.

    In a survey due out this week, Ledbury Research for Barclay's Wealth found that women in the U.S. give an average 3.5% of their wealth to charity. The survey of 500 people with investible assets of $1 million or more found that men give an average of 1.8%

    And it isn't just a U.S. phenomenon. In the U.K., women give an average of 0.8%, compared with 0.5% for men, the survey shows.

    Yes, the finding confirms stereotypes. But it also has big implications for the future of philanthropy.

    More and more women are earning their own wealth, thereby becoming big donors in their own right. And even when it is the husband's or dad's money, women often are taking the lead in directing charitable dollars.

    It isn't just the percentages that are different but also the method of giving. The report says women have a greater sense of collaboration and will seek a variety of opinions before making a decision. Men often decide on their own.

    Wealthy women donors, therefore, will be more likely to work in partnership with charities, rather than dictating terms. That is in stark contrast to the 'My-way-or-highway' tendencies of venture philanthropy.

    'The future of philanthropy may ultimately lie in understanding how men and women might work in partnership,' says Matthew Brady, Managing Director, Barclays Wealth in the Americas. 'It's going to be much more collaborative.'

    Of course, the reality is that men still earn and control the majority of the wealth.

    Still, do you think women such as Melinda Gates will change philanthropy?

    普遍的看法是女人比男人更有愛心。

    一項最新調查用數字證明了這一點：富裕女性的捐款占其財富的比例是男性的兩倍。

    研究公司Ledbury Research為Barclays Wealth進行的此項研究發現，美國的女性平均捐出了其財富的3.5%,而男性平均為1.8%.這項研究調查了500名可投資資產不低于100萬美元的富人，結果定于本周發布。

    蓋茨夫婦并不是美國才存在這種現象。調查顯示，在英國，女性和男性的捐款占其財富的平均比例分別為0.8%和0.5%.

    的確，這個發現證實了人們的傳統看法。但這也對慈善事業的未來具有重要意義。

    越來越多的女性靠自己的努力致富，因此能夠自己做主大筆捐贈。即使是丈夫或父親的錢，女性往往也在慈善捐款中起帶頭作用。

    這不僅是百分比的不同，而且還有捐款方法的不同。這份報告說，女性的協作感更強，在作出決定前也會征求各種意見。而男性往往自己做決定。

    因此，富有的女性捐款者更有可能與慈善機構合作，而對慈善機構發號施令。這與慈善創投"一切由我做主"的傾向形成了鮮明對比。

    Barclays Wealth駐美洲董事總經理布雷迪（Matthew Brady）說，慈善事業的未來可能最終取決于了解男性和女性如何協作。他說，這一事業將要有更緊密的合作。

    當然，現實情況是男性仍創造和控制著大部分財富。

    不過，你認為梅琳達？蓋茨（Melinda Gates）這樣的女性將會如何改變慈善行為呢？