Popular Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie, has revealed why men have a higher rate of dying by suicide. According to the author, patriarchy is the main cause of this. Men are socialised to suppress so many human parts of themselves and are socialised not to ask for help.
She said, “Both men and women suffer from the illnesses that lead to suicide but it is men that have a much higher rate of dying by suicide. Why? Because men are socialized to suppress so many human parts of themselves, men are socialized not to ask for help, men are socialized to be afraid of fear, men are socialized not to show vulnerability.
“From the moment we tell a little boy that ‘boys don’t cry’ or we tell a hurting teenager to ‘man up’ we are creating an adult man who will be cheated of the full range of his emotions. So, while men benefit from patriarchy, they also suffer from it.”
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