Suicide is a deeply gendered issue in the UK, as it is globally. In the past 30 years the male:female suicide rate differential has more than doubled, from 1.7:1 to 3.5:1. Last year International Business Times published my article on the matter – here.
The Health Select Committee recently announced the launch of a suicide prevention inquiry – here. Eight of the committee’s 11 members are female, including the Chair, Dr Sarah Wollaston (C). We shall be sending a written submission (3,000 words maximum) by the deadline of 9 September, and seeking to give oral evidence to the committee. The last time I gave evidence to a House of Commons Select Committee was in 2012 – here (video, 56:50).
“However, the figures also show a 14% increase in female suicide between 2013 and 2014, demonstrating the necessity of work targeted at both sexes.” This from the blurb about this. Of course the % is on a much smaller number of suicides than the 80% that are male. But I’ll lay money that it will be used to focus concern on women by “feminist zealots” .
I would imagine that you are not getting your hopes up:
“However, the figures also show a 14% increase in female suicide between 2013 and 2014, demonstrating the necessity of work targeted at both sexes”. From this I imagine we can all see where the support services will be concentrating their resources on.
Couldn’t the Select Committee be more open and honest i.e. Shock horror, 14% increase in female suicides in one year. A female task force looks into it.