Picture this:
You're on a date at a restaurant. It's going really well. You've been making each other laugh, the conversation hasn't had any uncomfortable lulls, and the food was tasty to boot. By all accounts, this date has been a huge success.
Then the waiter comes by and drops the bill off at the table.
If we're thinking traditionally, the answer would probably be, "the man should pay" because, traditionally speaking, that's what's to be expected of men on heterosexual dates.
But as Bob Dylan once said, "The times they are a-changing."
Once upon a time, women weren't allowed to work and earn money, so they relied on the men in their lives to support them financially.
But things are different now. Women are able to work and earn wages just like their male counterparts. (Although not always the same amount, but that's another article altogether.)
Unilad recently published an article about the expectations of men on dates and argued that it's about time we change our thinking on this subject.
Author Emily Brown insists that instead of the bill falling into the man's lap every time, heterosexual couples should try splitting the bill or even alternating who pays with each date.
Reddit user Jdmitch931 posted in the r/relationship_advice subreddit and posed the question "Should I pay 100% everything in a relationship as a man?"
He describes his personal situation with his girlfriend and also his financial situation and asks Reddit whether he should be expected to foot the bill on every date.
"I mean everyone comes from a different upbringing but a relationship is a partnership in my eyes, 50/50," one user replied.
They added, "You and the said girlfriend should split up some of the things y’all need to pay, not just you having to carry the weight of it all. That’s not fair whatsoever."
According to The Independent, a 2018 study from the dating app Badoo found that 65 percent of women surveyed actually said they'd rather pay for the first date themselves.
There's no real perfect answer to this question of who picks up the bill, so perhaps then it should be left up to the two people participating in the date to decide, rather than falling on any traditional expectations.
(Or just cook at home. That works too.)
