Pampel discusses frequently in his article, National Context, Social Change, and Sex Differences in Suicide Rates (1998), that the increase in rate of suicide is found more so amongst women rather than men. This is significant information from the past because as time had progressed to the 2010s, according to CDC, men are 77.9% of the suicidal related population who commit suicide while more women think of suicidal thoughts more often than men do (CDC 2015). Based on this statistic, Pampel presents a view of how continual social change has fluctuated the rates of suicide for women. Three independent variables that contribute to the dependent variable of woman’s rate of suicide are the nationally viewed context of suicides, female labor force participation rate, and the divorce rate amongst partners (Pampel 1998: 746). The conflict theory lens helps to explain how gender has progressed as seen in terms of how the relationship between the suicide rates of men and women has changed.
The dependent variable in this context is the rates of suicide amongst women. In comparison to men’s rate of suicide in 1998, women outranked men. Pampel measures the rate of suicides amongst women based on the factors that contribute to the great amount of suicides amongst women in previous years dating from the 1950s to the 1970s (Pampel 1998: 746) . These factors include the differing nationalistic viewpoints, increase in labor force, and the divorce rates (Pampel 1998: 746).
The first independent variable that Pampel relates to the gross amount of suicides amongst women is the data collected at a national level. Views on gender equality or inequality differ cross-culturally thus affecting the outcome of how many people of each gender commits suicide. This then results in varying data under the one category of the rates of suicides. “Such differences produce variation in the relative power of men and women across otherwise economically similar nations and shape the contexts in which sex differentials in suicide can occur” (Pampel 1998: 747). Dependent on the social context, rates of suicides amongst women are much higher within collectivist nations rather than individualist nations. According to Pampel, this is because in collectivist nations such as the countries in the East, there is much more income inequality brought towards women than individualist nations who support groups of women who come together to form alliances that bring upon equality among men and women (Pampel 1998: 748). Pampel thus measures the gender inequality between the two differing viewpoints. Pampel examines the difference of the extent of gender inequality between collectivist and individualist cultures. The change of gender equality is claimed, by Pampel, to reduce the stigma and progress the bias of suicide rates amongst men and women, women being the highest suicide rate.
The second independent variable that Pampel mentions is the female labor force participation rate and how it creates role conflicts seeing that they are working in the occupational position men were in before they departed for war (Pampel 1998: 746). This is the involvement of women in paid economy (Pampel 1998: 746). It states that with the increase in role conflict between spouses or the wife vs. worker debate, the rate of suicide goes up for women. To elaborate, Pampel mentions that during WWII suicide rates initially increased for women. Women had taken over factory jobs left by the men who went overseas. There was still stigma surrounding a woman taking over a “man’s job” (Pampel 1998: 746). This initial cue in suicide rates was caused by men returning from war and seeing women in the men’s positions telling them that they are not in the position to take over the previous jobs of men. Pampel notes this trend in his paper stating “Social change initially disrupts traditional values, creating normative uncertainty and role ambiguity among women (Pampel 1998:746)”. He then goes on to say “institutions eventually adapt to pressures for change, new norms gain wide acceptance, and anomie declines” (Pampel 1998:746). He also says that around this time; when women working jobs outside the home becomes the norm thus becoming accepted, suicide rates among women happen to decrease. To conclude, as time progressed and the roles of women were accepted in the workforce, suicide rates go down. Social change in this context is the ability to adapt women in the many fields of the world whether it may be work, politics, and social life allowing more leeway for men and women to come together and become equals (Pampel 1998: 745).
The third independent variable that Pampel provides evidence in contribution to the rates of suicide in women is divorce. He notes that “when divorce is relatively rare, the experience and status of divorce increases suicides. As divorce becomes more common, it’s harmful impact on status integration and on suicide declines” (Pampel 1998:746). In relation to women who participate in the labor force, divorce is still somewhat frowned upon but is not as stigmatized as it was before. As a result, Pampel states that “these different relationships indicate an increasingly less harmful and perhaps beneficial impact of an increased divorce rate on the relative female suicide rate” (Pampel 1998: 746). The fluctuation of divorce rate is based on the current social norm established. The rate of suicides that increased were pulled up from statistics dating back from the 1950s to the 1970s when divorce rate was not practiced as often (Pampel 1998: 746). Pampel had said that it makes sense to think that divorce poses harmful effects on an individual seeing that divorce causes families to fall apart which is negative rather than focusing on the positives of divorce which is the equality of men and women. The women’s role in the relationship between her and the man she is divorcing is that of an equal. It allows her to be recognized as a person that is not lower than the man she was with. I interpreted from his discussion of social change of divorce becoming more accepted in society is that the more we lessen the norm or modify the norm of allocating certain tasks and roles of the typical woman, the lower the rates of suicides will come to be for these women.
Based on the explanations of the independent variables, the sociological perspective I believe is most relevant to discuss in accordance to the rates of women’s suicides is conflict theory. According to Henslin, conflict theory is “a theoretical framework in which society is viewed is composed of groups who are competing for scarce resource” (Henslin 2014). Women have always been the gender that is beneath the other; other being men. Male dominance brings up the feminist perspective. My interpretation of feminist perspective is the outlook women have on society based on the norms set by that society which in many cases is male dominance over women. This perspective emphasizes the voice of women who take note of dominance men are given and are naturally taught to have and ways to combat that dominance through gender equality. “Men and women alike have symbolic value and worth” (Adkins, Tim, 2017, Personal Correspondence, BSB 4074) and with this, the two genders function beside one another to produce the same outcome in the workplace, at home, etc. The relation between conflict theory and the feminist viewpoint is the continual battle between men and women and how each one competes to progress in society. A woman’s version of progression and dominance is to become an equal with her counterpart which is man. Pampel’s article, National Context, Social Change, and Sex Differences in Suicide Rates (1998), is a great article in terms of conflict theory with its components of comparison statistics of how the rates of suicide differ not only between genders but holistically nationwide. Within the different nations that have forms of gender inequality themselves, each one is not alike and vary depending on the culture. It is mentioned by Henslin that social context influences how we perceive ourselves (Henslin 2014). Culture creates the norms we follow today and sets standards and roles for the individuals that reside within its boundaries. Pampel explains how these perspectives conflict with each other and how they all ultimately strive to be at the top. “The original images of women we have been taught to know have changed and this difference of woman’s place in the structure of society results in an overall social change amongst genders” (Adkins, Tim, 2017, Personal Correspondence, BSB 4074)