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. Through an exploration of the World Health Organisation Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) data, this paper aims to analyse changes in the trends of female suicide across the period 1950 to 2009 in 106 countries. Observed changes in female suicidal behaviours are discussed in the context of 12 geographical and cultural areas of the world: Africa, Anglo-Saxon countries, the Western Pacific, the Baltic States, Central and Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean countries, Scandinavia, South America, South East Asia, Southern Europe and Western Europe. By seeking understanding as to how suicidal behaviours are gendered within specific cultures and societies and by unpacking the Gender Paradox using Cultural Scripts Theory, this paper explores some possible culturally relevant explanations for female suicide rates and behaviours worthy of future research attention. Analysing the data and its limitations, and acknowledging its place within social and cultural constructs, allows for better understanding of the fatal female suicidal behaviour.