Age of Equality: Who pays on the first date?

58 per cent of women expect to split the bill on a first date: survey.

LONDON: More than half of British women pay for themselves on a first date, even though men still want to pay, according to a survey on Monday.

A poll of 1,924 adults for online bank first direct found that 58 per cent of women expect to split the bill on a first date, double the proportion of men which accounts for 29 per cent.

Additionally, 14 per cent of women think it should be whoever suggested the date.

Only a quarter of women said that they thought men should pay for a first date, while three per cent said they themselves should foot the bill, suggesting that women feel they should not be beholden to men, but that men should also pay their way.

Male respondents on the other hand believed that chivalry isn't dead, with 55 per cent expecting to pay the full bill on a first date, and men spending an average of 65 pounds on a first date compared to women who spend 50 pounds.

Shouldering not just the financial burden but also the organizational responsibility, more than nine in 10 males, which accounts for 94 per cent, said they would organize the first date, compared with just 65 per cent of women.

Highlighting the financial considerations behind dating, 38 per cent of people would use discount vouchers on a first date, a figure slightly higher for men that is 41 per cent than women.

As we approach the wedding season, the couple on everyone's lips is Kate Middleton and Prince William," first direct Senior Savings Product Manager Richard Brown said in a statement. "It would be fascinating to know if they split the bill or if William paid and pulled out a discount voucher on their first date."