AntiSocial - Are women better off single?
Download Are women better off single?
An article in British Vogue asking if it's "embarrassing" to have a boyfriend prompts a discussion about whether women might be better off ditching men and staying single.
Some women say they feel more empowered by single life, and that they expect much higher standards of men these days. Others think it's divisive to suggest men are, on average, poor relationship material and that it's unfair to demean women who are happy with a partner.
We speak to author of the British Vogue article, Chanté Joseph, to find out what prompted it and what it revealed. The image of single women in society has a long, and largely negative, history - we open the archives on cat ladies and old maids.
And who's happier anyway - single women or those in relationships? We look at the available data.
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Production team: Simon Tulett, Natasha Fernandes, Paul Moss, Marie Lennon
Studio manager: Andrew Mills
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy
Published on Friday, 7th November 2025.
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