Les différentes façons d'être bénévole

Voluntary work, defined as a voluntary and unpaid donation of work, can take two forms: in civil organisations (formal or organised civil voluntary work) or in neighbourhood networks, among neighbours, friends or family (informal voluntary work). Knowledge of voluntary work in France has long been approximative and fragmented and more often than not limited to formal voluntary work. INSEE's 1985-1986 Emploi du Temps survey provided an opportunity to outline the different practices and clarify some of their determining factors. Organised civil voluntary work seems to be found mainly in sports and cultural activities, contrary to its usual social and charitable image. It is more of a male domain and increases with the level of education and the intensity of other sociable practices. It is found less in large towns and more frequently in rural areas and small towns, probably offsetting the low level of public and market resources allotted to the targeted activities. The informal donation of time, which also increases with other sociable practices, differs considerably from formal voluntary work from the point of view of other characteristics. It covers a wider range of activities, involves more women and is more rooted in an everyday sociability, which is a vehicle for exchanges between generations.