Since the 19th century, social scientists have been unable to explain age & gender differentials in the risk of suicide. Almost universally, men have a greater risk of completed suicide than women. Furthermore, in economically developed countries, the risk tends to be highest for men in old age & for women in middle age. Age patterns of suicide in some Third World countries are fundamentally different than this. The author tests an interdisciplinary theory that focuses on role identities, economic development, & kinship institutions to account for these patterns. (57 refs.)