Hear the VC’s take on single life in Britain
Posted on behalf of: Internal Communications
Last updated: Friday, 23 June 2023

Sasha Roseneil is contributing to a BBC Radio 4 programme looking at whether life in Britain is stacked against single people.
Part of the Analysis series, Do single people get a raw deal? airs at 8.30pm on Monday 26 June and will examine whether society should find new ways to address their needs through political change.
Single people make up a large proportion of the population in Britain. People are marrying later and less, getting divorced more often, and living longer. Although not all people who live alone are single, the growth of one-person households now outstrips the rise in the UK population - and is projected to continue.
And yet life in Britain often seems ill-suited to their needs. Being single is expensive and modern dating can be challenging. The idea that being in a couple provides greater happiness and fulfilment still has a tight grip on our collective psyche.
The host, Ant Adeane, will examine whether society should find new ways to address the needs of singles through political change.
The Vice-Chancellor - who is a sociologist – will be drawing upon her book The Tenacity of the Couple Norm, which is available via open access publication. The other contributors to the programme include poet/author, Amy Key; journalist/author, Emma John; and Elyakim Kislev, Professor of Public Policy and Government at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
You can listen on BBC Sounds shortly after broadcast (8.30pm, Monday 26 June)