Should a Woman Offer to Pay on a Date? What to Consider

Anita just started dating again after the breakup of a long relationship. Considering herself a modern woman, she thinks she should split the check with her dates, so she always offers to pay. When Tom comes along, she is surprised by her reaction to this habit. When she offers to pay, he agrees and she’s disappointed. How serious is he about her? She can’t tell.

Is Tom not that into Anita if he lets her pay? Or is he just trying to do what will make her happy? Who knows. Who should pay on a date?

Chivalry and entrenched societal expectations and gender norms insist that a man should pay for dates. But shouldn’t feminism change this traditional approach to modern dating?

Not necessarily.

According to a recent study of 300,000 singles, nearly two-thirds of men (63%) think that the man should pay for the first date. Less than half of the women (46%) think the guy should pay on the first date.

A study from 2017 of more than 17,000 heterosexual men and women, dug a little deeper. Their results indicated that:

• 76% of men reported feeling guilty when they didn’t pay for their date
• 64% think that women should contribute