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Hello and welcome to More or Less, the show that keeps a close eye on the numbers in

the news and in life. I'm Tim Hafer.

This week, what's happening to the Covid death toll during the Omicron wave? We compare

the price and the quality of the UK's test and trace system with that of Germany. And

is it true that one in ten people are planning to start a podcast? Or is it just that one

in ten podcasts are presented by me? But first, last week, the More or Less news desk

was alerted to a shocking statistical headline that was being shared on social media.

Er, typical day in the office you might think, nothing unusual there. Women on the More

or Less team had already flagged it for having the potential to cause quite the stir. And

before we knew it, we were inundated with loyal listeners getting in touch with us, itching

to know whether it could possibly be true. Requests ranged from the worried. I find this

deeply concerning. Please could you investigate this?

To the downright disbelieving. It all sounds a bit scare mongery. So can you shed some light

on this situation, please? Well, loyal listeners, we are here to answer your call and shed light

on the situation we shall. But first, let's hear the numerical cause of all that commotion.

32% more likely to die after operation by male surgeon, study reveals.

That headline was from the Guardian and other news outlets quickly scrambled to repeat the

claim. It's a terrifying figure, particularly if you're a woman about to go under the

knife of a male surgeon. The headline containing the shocking stat has now been shared far and

wide by journalists and feminist groups who all point to what have been dubbed eye-popping

results. But should women really be worried about having a male surgeon? There was one

...