WASHINGTON – When is it proper, polite or fair for a woman to start paying on a date?
That depends on whom you ask. NBCNews.com posted a survey asking 17,000 heterosexual men and women ages 18-65 several questions on dating and money.
The researchers found that answers were all over the place – 84 percent of the men surveyed said that they usually pick up the tab, but only 58 percent of women said that men actually do.
Most men say they don’t mind grabbing the check for the first few dates, but would not object if a woman grabbed it after that. Men are bothered by the notion of being taken advantage of.
Woman do step up – 60 percent say they offer to pay but 40 percent of women say they really (secretly) hope the man says “no, thanks.”
Some men indicated that sex would be in the scenario if they constantly paid the bill, but that figure mostly showed up among the younger respondents. Women indicated (32%) that if they pay, no sexual activity would even be considered.
Money is an uncomfortable topic for new daters, but worth having, since 44 percent of men answered they would drop a woman who never offered at all.
At the six-month mark, most men and women say that expenses are being shared.
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