Women and Suicide: Beyond the Gender Paradox

Abstract

Traditionally, suicide research has focused on male mortality, with little attention paid to the female experience of suicide. This means there has been a lack of research examining how female suicide rates and behaviours have changed over time and between countries. This study sought to understand how suicidal behaviours are gendered within specific cultures and societies, and by unpacking the Gender paradox using Cultural Scripts Theory, aimed to explore some possible culturally relevant explanations for female suicide rates and behaviours worthy of future research attention.