Abstract
Using pooled cross-sectional state-level data from 1979-2020 to analyze the effects of economic conditions and female labor force participation on sex-specific suicide rates, I arrive at four main conclusions. First, I find that, for both males and females, the positive association between unemployment and suicide is stronger for the working-age population (aged 25-64) than for the total population. Second, I find that the unemployment-suicide link is stronger for females than for males. I estimate that a one percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate is predicted to increase the suicide rate of working-age females by 1.6%, compared to 0.8% for working-age males. Third, while I find a positive association between female labor force participation and suicide for working-age males, I find no association between the two variables for working-age females. Lastly, I estimate that male suicide is responsive to the labor force participation of married women, but not unmarried women, which suggests that role conflicts in the household are the most important mechanisms by which female labor force participation impacts male suicide.
Recommended Citation
Lewis, Jeffrey T.
(2023)
"THE IMPACT OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION ON SEX-SPECIFIC SUICIDE RATES ACROSS U.S. STATES, 1979-2020,"
Pennsylvania Economic Review: Vol. 30:
No.
1, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65193/3067-8080.1024