Patriarchy kills

Patriarchy kills

Suicide data tells it like it is.

A study published in The Lancet this week highlights gender differentials in suicide deaths in India, whereby in 2016 the country accounted for 18% of the global population but 37% of suicides among women and 24% among men. Suicide is shockingly the most common cause of death in the age group of 15-39 years. This is a serious health challenge for both sexes in our country but women are significantly more vulnerable than men.

Experts have pointed to clear structural reasons for this, such as domestic violence, marital rape, lack of economic independence, differences among men and women in access to mental healthcare or other avenues for dealing with stress. Some of them specifically blame the high incidence of underage marriages. The Lancet study makes it clear that the highest proportion of suicide deaths among women in India involves married women – this is true across class and religion. Essentially, the entrenched patriarchy in institutions of marriage and family can be brutally traumatic, and drive a woman to despair. But when a man’s wife or daughter or sister or friend or colleague commits suicide, it would take a toll on his mental health as well. Gender equality would save lives and deliver greater happiness for both sexes.

Democratic families, improved education and job opportunities, greater safety in public places, more reliable redress from the police machinery – what women want is no mystery. For India to become a healthy country it must raise the status of women and empower them. Farmers’ suicides are a political issue. Women’s suicides deserve to be, too.