The WHO numbers rely on information from the Chinese Ministry of Health, which Phillips says collects data from urban and better-off rural areas and does not adjust for uncounted deaths. The result is unrealistically low statistics. The suicide rate in the Chinese countryside is three times higher than that in the city. This predominance of rural suicide is another deviation from global norms, and it suggests that the underlying causes are independent of population density. One explanation is that an effective means to commit suicide is easily available, since most farm families keep deadly pesticides and herbicides on hand.
Medical care is often distant and unsophisticated.
Consequently, such suicide attempts usually succeed. By extension, lethal means in China may tip the scales toward suicide by women. In China, one answer is that rural society has traditionally placed greater value on boys than girls. A woman's life may seem expendable. Add to this the traditional belief that suicide is honorable and the apparent acceptance of suicide for those in a desperate situation who are powerless to escape, and the killing stage is set.