Suicide is an individual act, the tragic culmination of mental health problems, feelings of defeat,
entrapment, that one is worthless, unloved and does not matter. However, these feelings are
produced within a specific social, economic and cultural context. This report shows that there have
been a number of significant changes in society over the last 50 years – the shift from repressive prewar
to liberal post-war culture; changes to the roles of men and women and to the structures of
families; economic restructuring and the decline of traditionally male industries. The impact of these
processes has not been uniform across society; they pose challenges in particular to the group of men
currently in mid-life, and these challenges are exacerbated when men occupy low socio-economic
positions. The social context means this group of men is likely to experience multiple risk factors for
suicide, interacting in devastating combination. They have seen their jobs, relationships and identity
blown apart. There is a large gap between the reality of life for such men and the masculine ideal.