Dunno why people are surprised that (straight) women are interested in boyfriends as well. Plus or minus a percentage or two, there are as many single women as single men, and they face many similar family/societal pressures to be involved with someone (if not more due to the eventual biological timebomb). Partners are not commodities, and it's way better for women to be single than to have the wrong partner.
I think I'll get downvoted for this, esp. on HN, but I think the main surprise people have with this kind of thing (+ what you're missing out with the comparison to men frankly) is the significant biological difference between men and women - it's far, far easier for a woman to find a male partner than vice-versa. Generally, women choose.
In history 40% of all men have reproduced, while 80% of all women have. It's just biology.
So it's surprising they couldn't find this in real life. Additionally, women tend to have better support networks than men.
Of course, this doesn't mean it's easy to find a decent guy, and yes, partners are not commodities, so maybe that is the real issue while still wanting some companionship.
And it's not just way better for _women_ to be single than to have the wrong partner, it's way better for a person to be single than to have the wrong partner.
