Should Men or Women Pay on the First Date?

It might be 2015, but the vast majority of heterosexual couples still don’t split the check 50/50 on the first date, CNN Money reports.

That’s the case even when men and women consider themselves progressive or feminist.

While it’s increasingly common for the person who asks for the date to pick up the tab, men still do most of the asking, CNN reports.

Janet Lever has studied relationship trends for years and conducted a survey of 17,000 single people. The sociology professor at California State University, Los Angeles, tells CNN:

“Men are in this horrible position. They’re still fearing: Should I hold the door open, or is that going to insult her?”

According to Lever’s research, modern dating among heterosexual couples means:

• About 10 percent are looking for something very traditional, where the man pays for everything.
• About 10 percent are looking for 50/50 from the very first date.
• About 80 percent want something in between those two.

David Frederick, an assistant professor of psychology at Chapman University who conducted the survey with Lever, tells CNN:

“How they decide to pay on a date can be a good signal of how they think men and women’s roles should work in the relationship.”

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