Should Men Pay on the First Date?
Tuesday, August 07th, 2012
If you’re a man opening this blog post, we apologise if you’re completely outraged at the suggestion that in the 21st century some women still expect men to pay the bill on a first date. Please keep reading though ladies and gentlemen as we discuss the murky subject of who should pay on a first date…
When a man should pay
Some men were brought up to believe that it is their duty to pay on the first date and feel really uncomfortable with a woman paying for anything, while some women openly admit that they expect a man to pay for their first date. In both cases it is safe to assume that the best policy is for the man to pay for the date. Of the people who answered my mini-poll 75% thought that men should pay on a first date.
If you’re a woman and your date insists on paying for the whole bill, allow him to pay and offer to pay next time you meet up.
When a woman should pay
If a woman has suggested a date, then tradition dictates that she is the one who will pay for the bill and 25% of people polled said that a woman should pay on a first date.
Men- don’t feel embarrassed if your date offers to pay the bill, she may genuinely wish to pay as she enjoyed your date; on the other hand some women don’t want to feel like they owe their date anything.
Split the bill
‘Going Dutch’ is the best way to guarantee equality on your date. It’s also a good idea to at least offer to pay your share even if you know the other person will insist.
Going Dutch is also the best option if you know that you really don’t want to meet your date again, as you don’t want to feel obliged to meet up again if your date has insisted upon paying the bill.
What not to do!
We cannot stress this enough – whatever happens you should never bicker about the bill on a first date. If one person is insistent on paying, then let them pay and offer to pay the next time you meet up. It’s also a good way to show your date that you would like to meet up again if you say “I’ll pay next time”.
If you decide to split the bill, don’t get out a calculator and work out exactly what you’ve both spent. Either half the bill or if you’re both really keen to make things ‘fair’, agree that one person pays a bit more if they have had an extra course or more drinks.
Whichever option you choose enjoy your date and let us know your opinion on the Facebook page.
