Suicides, femicides-suicides and guns in Argentina

Hegemonic masculinity in dispute

Abstract

Gender perspective on suicides helps to understand the higher male rate and the suicide of femicides, including of the members of security forces. These phenomena, and the preference and easy access to guns, could be explained by the mandate of hegemonic masculinity. To study this in the Argentine case, statistical analysis of secondary data from official and unofficial sources was conducted. Results suggest that in order to reduce the level of suicides and femicides, including those committed by policemen, strategies should combine disarmament and gender perspectives, by reducing the access to guns and by questioning the hegemonic masculine identity that legitimizes and motivates guns’ ossession and gender violence.