4 ms·

The gender gap in the USA/Western Europe appears to be a lot bigger than it is in the rest of the world. A ratio of 3.4 in the US (77% male) as opposed to 1.7

The gender gap in the USA/Western Europe appears to be a lot bigger than it is in the rest of the world. A ratio of 3.4 in the US (77% male) as opposed to 1.7 globally (63% male).

flerchin 6y ago
Men in the US commit suicide by gun. More effective.
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  I'm sure that's a factor, but I imagine it's more complicated than that.
- scarmig 6y ago
  You find similar suicide gender ratios in societies where guns are heavily regulated and comprise a small minority of suicides (e.g. UK, Japan).
  - generalizations 6y ago
    IIRC there's another stat that shows men are more likely to be successful when they try.
    - scarmig 6y ago
      Basically, across most developed countries, women attempt to commit suicide 3x more than men, but men complete suicide 3x more than women. So men are approximately 10x as likely to succeed when they do try. This is a combination of male suicide attempts being underreported and gendered differences in suicide as a cry for help vs a desire to end it all. There's also a minor statistical effect where a single suicidal women will attempt suicide multiple times vs a single suicidal male attempting it once (so you get different numbers comparing suicide attempts by gender vs people who have attempted suicide by gender).
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  Japanese men seem to make do just fine.
- exporectomy 6y ago
  I see this claim a lot whenever suicide gender imbalance comes up. I think it's really an political idea trying to compensate for the idea that girls who attempt suicide are doing it to seek attention rather than to actually die. Some things to consider: People who attempt suicide to seek attention are still suffering serious problems and it's not something to judge as "not a real problem". Men and boys engage in risky activities which aren't classified as suicide attempts but may be exacerbated by wanting to die, such as violence, drug abuse, dangerous driving, even extreme sports. Men sometimes commit suicide in very deliberate and carefully planned ways that ensure success. That's bound to be more successful than spontaneously running into the bathroom and swallowing every tablet in the medicine cupboard. Sometimes this is because they believe they've failed their social obligations and will never be respected. Eg. cheating on their wife, beating their wife, being unemployed, etc.

The gender gap in the USA/Western Europe appears to be a lot bigger than it is in the rest of the world. A ratio of 3.4 in the US (77% male) as opposed to 1.7 globally (63% male).

flerchin 6y ago

Men in the US commit suicide by gun. More effective.

DoreenMichele 6y ago
I'm sure that's a factor, but I imagine it's more complicated than that.
scarmig 6y ago
You find similar suicide gender ratios in societies where guns are heavily regulated and comprise a small minority of suicides (e.g. UK, Japan).
- generalizations 6y ago
  IIRC there's another stat that shows men are more likely to be successful when they try.
  - scarmig 6y ago
    Basically, across most developed countries, women attempt to commit suicide 3x more than men, but men complete suicide 3x more than women. So men are approximately 10x as likely to succeed when they do try. This is a combination of male suicide attempts being underreported and gendered differences in suicide as a cry for help vs a desire to end it all. There's also a minor statistical effect where a single suicidal women will attempt suicide multiple times vs a single suicidal male attempting it once (so you get different numbers comparing suicide attempts by gender vs people who have attempted suicide by gender).
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
Japanese men seem to make do just fine.
exporectomy 6y ago
I see this claim a lot whenever suicide gender imbalance comes up. I think it's really an political idea trying to compensate for the idea that girls who attempt suicide are doing it to seek attention rather than to actually die. Some things to consider: People who attempt suicide to seek attention are still suffering serious problems and it's not something to judge as "not a real problem". Men and boys engage in risky activities which aren't classified as suicide attempts but may be exacerbated by wanting to die, such as violence, drug abuse, dangerous driving, even extreme sports. Men sometimes commit suicide in very deliberate and carefully planned ways that ensure success. That's bound to be more successful than spontaneously running into the bathroom and swallowing every tablet in the medicine cupboard. Sometimes this is because they believe they've failed their social obligations and will never be respected. Eg. cheating on their wife, beating their wife, being unemployed, etc.