44 body armor is pretty high. Considering that the top tier of body armor (without heirlooms) for a single piece (no gloves) is 56, that's almost at the top. Lower high-tier.
Low 0-20
Medium 20-40
High 40+
The game is way too forgiving in terms of armor and taking hits as it is- you should never get to rely on armor for free hits against you, bottom line. Add on the absurd bonus we can get from strength; not only do you get the ability to use stronger weapons, you get a skill that makes you hit harder with them, as well as the ability to wear heavier armor (and have it effect your movement less and less the more strength you have) and obtain more health. Survivability and lethality should not be so intertwined into one stat, it's borked.