Sex,Marital Status,and Suicide in Canada: 1951–1981

This analysis extends earlier research concerning the protective role of marriage in people's lives. An important aspect of this general phenomenon pertains to the differential protection marriage engenders for the sexes. It is hypothesized that being married as opposed to unmarried entails a lower risk of suicide, and that marital status transitions from an unmarried state (e.g., single, widowed, divorced) to the married state entail a greater benefit for men than for women. This hypothesis is largely supported by an analysis of Canadian data covering four decades (from 1951 to 1981). Using a standardization procedure, it was discovered that a transition from single or widowed to married would entail a greater reduction in suicide risk for men than for women. In the case of a transition from divorced to married status, both sexes would benefit equally in reducing suicide potential. The analysis further demonstrates only weak support for the thesis that over time there would be a convergence in sex differences in the potential protective significance of marriage in reducing suicide risk.