Women are twice as likely as men to experience major depression, yet women are one-fourth as likely as men to take their own lives. Current & past explanations of this paradox are built on androcentric assumptions that women are deficient in some way. The reverse may be true where suicide is concerned. It is argued in this paper that women derive strength & protection from suicide by virtue of specific differences from men. Factors that protect women from suicide are opposite to vulnerability factors in men. (82 refs.)