| Abstract [eng] |
Women's higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are less likely to receive scientific attention due to social attitudes associated with femininity. Femininity is perceived as more of a protective factor in the topic of suicidality due to women's lower suicide rates and their suicidality is seen as a desire for attention, but analyses of women's social experiences show that this is not always true. The aim of this study is to reveal and compare the subjective perceptions of femininity of women with and without suicidal ideation. In the course of the study, 707 women answered the open-ended question "What does femininity mean to you?" and indicated whether they had suicidal thoughts. Women's responses to the open-ended question were analysed using content analysis. The suicidal ideation of the participants was assessed and the whole sample was divided into two groups: those with and without suicidal ideation. The chi-square (χ²) test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the responses to the open-ended question between the groups with and without suicidal ideation. The results reveal that themes related to feelings and their expression, inner resources, reproductive aspects, relationship with others, relationship with self, efficacy, adaptation to others and identity are prominent in Lithuanian women's conception of femininity. Women with suicidal thoughts were more likely to mention relationship with self and social construct, while those without suicidal thoughts were more likely to mention relationship with others, gentleness and empathy. These results suggest that femininity is not a univocal construct and cannot be attributed solely to protective factors, as women's subjective perceptions of femininity are varied and are also associated with suicide risk. |
