This paper analyses the relationship between women’s eman cipation, modernisation and suicide in Australia using data for the period 1901-85. The main finding of the paper is that mod ernisation/women’s emancipation, as measured by an index composed of the female participation rate in the labour force, and the urbanisation rate, the female-male education ratio and the female-male employment ratio, is positively related to the male-female suicide ratio. Another finding of the paper is that while the female suicide rate in Australia rose steadily between 1901 and 1965, it has been falling significantly since that time. We discuss several reasons for this change in trend.