Durkheim defined anomie as a lack of controls placed on individuals by society. Divorce nullifies these controls & therefore is a cause of anomie, leading to suicide. It is for this reason that divorce & suicide vary together. Durkheim’s theory did not apply to women. Women committed more suicide where divorce was difficult to obtain, which is better explained as fatalistic suicide. Author predicts the effects of easily obtained divorce on women but suggests it will eventually lead to anomie.