Lorraine Candy, the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which has a monthly circulation of 460,000, says that the appointment of a spirituality editor was a necessary response to the growing number of young women searching for "something deeper".
"We get hundreds of letters every month from successful young women looking for something outside their material success to make them happy," she said. "From our own research and anecdotal evidence, it seems that more women are praying than ever before, more women are joining the Alpha course [which introduces people to the basics of the Christian faith], and more women are phoning psychic lines or going to Tarot card readers.
"Young women today are spirituality seekers, whether that be adhering to a formal religion or something a bit less dictatorial."
Miss Candy added: "Women don't live near their parents any more, so there is a lack of emotional support. There is also a growing realisation that being at the top of a career might not make you happy in the way that marriage and children might do. The choice is overwhelming.
By Elizabeth Day
(Filed: 30/11/2003)