The Role of Gender Equality, Education and Economic Welfare in Female Suicide: An Empirical Investigation on European Countries
Öz
This study examines the macro-level socioeconomic factors determining female suicide rates in European countries along three thematic dimensions: (1) Gender Equality and Legal Status, (2) Education and Individual Empowerment, and (3) Economic Welfare and Labor Equality. The study is based on a panel dataset from 18 European countries for the period 2003-2021. Female suicide rates are conceptualized as being shaped not only by individual psychological factors but also by legal, social, and economic structures. In econometric analyses, both short-run and long-run relationships were tested using the CS-ARDL model. The findings reveal that institutional indicators such as female representation in parliament and the rule of law significantly reduce female suicide rates. In terms of educational indicators, expected years of schooling for girls and public education expenditures also reduce suicide rates. Women's participation in economic life has complex implications. In the short run, while women’s labor force participation and part-time employment have a protective effect, in the long run, higher levels of national income may have complex effects on women’s psychological well-being. As one of the rare cases where women's suicides are associated with structural and multidimensional causes, the study both contributes theoretically and develops concrete recommendations for policymakers. It emphasizes that gender-sensitive social policies, legal reforms and educational investments play a critical role in preventing women's suicides.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Female suicide, Gender equality, Education, Socio-economic welfare, CS-ARDL model
Kaynakça
- Abdel-Rahman, O. (2019). Socioeconomic predictors of suicide risk among cancer patients in the United States: A population-based study. Cancer Epidemiology, 63, 101601.[CrossRef]
- Adak, N. (2010). Türkiye’de intihar olgusu üzerine sosyolojik bir araştırma [A sociological study on the phenomenon of suicide in Türkiye]. Sosyoloji Konferansları, (41), 1–24. [CrossRef]
- Akyuz, M. (2024). The impact of social expenditure on sustainable human development: Empirical evidence on the suicide deaths in a developing country. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying. Advance online publication. [CrossRef]
- Antonakakis, N., & Collins, A. (2014). The impact of fiscal austerity on suicide: On the empirics of a modern Greek tragedy. Social Science & Medicine, 112, 39–50. [CrossRef]
- Arvate, G. G., Arvate, P., Massuda, A., Massuda, R., & Atun, R. (2025). Can role model women in politics help married women reduce suicides? Evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Brazil. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1513669. [CrossRef]
- Asevedo, E., Ziebold, C., Diniz, E., Gadelha, A., & Mari, J. (2018). Ten-year evolution of suicide rates and economic indicators in large Brazilian urban centers. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 31(3), 265–271. [CrossRef]
- Blasco-Fontecilla, H., Perez-Rodriguez, M. M., Garcia-Nieto, R., Fernandez-Navarro, P., Galfalvy, H., de Leon, J., & Baca-Garcia, E. (2012). Worldwide impact of economic cycles on suicide trends over 3 decades: Differences according to level of development. BMJ Open, 2(3), e000785. [CrossRef]
- Breña, W. H. (2015). Feminicidio (aggregado) en el Perú y su relación con variables macrosociales. URVIO, Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios de Seguridad, (17), 48–66. [CrossRef]
- Cai, Z., Canetto, S. S., Chang, Q., & Yip, P. S. (2021). Women's suicide in low-, middle-, and high-income countries: Do laws discriminating against women matter? Social Science & Medicine, 282, 114035. [CrossRef]
- Chang, S.-S., Stuckler, D., Yip, P., & Gunnell, D. (2013). Impact of 2008 global economic crisis on suicide: Time trend study in 54 countries. BMJ, 347, f5239. [CrossRef]