On dates, it is all too common for the guy to be forced into paying just to fit the ‘social norm’. According to a study made by Match.com, more than 50 percent of men believe that they should be the ones to pay for dates, but there is no real reason that men should feel they must pay for dates just because they are male.
An old-fashioned man would believe that it is common courtesy for them to pay for their female counterpart on a date. Men also do this as a way to impress their date by paying for the other’s meal. “I always pay for my girlfriend because I don’t mind and I want to keep her happy,” senior Adam Greenberg said.
Although it was not seen this way a couple decades ago, men and women are equals, and need to treat each other that way. A common way to tackle this problem is for the girl and the guy to split the check. This is an effective solution as it gets rid of the argument over who’s paying. The one problem with this is people often have a hard time asking their significant other if they want to split the bill. This does not have to be an issue, especially as high school students without a steady salary. If one is not going to be happy paying for the bill due to a lack of money, they should let the other person know and they will most likely agree and split the bill without complaint. “I believe that the girl and the guy should split the bill because it is more fair that way,” senior Jessica Trzeciak said.
Being in a long-term relationship, however, is quite different. When in a relationship there are many ways to go about paying for dates. One common approach is to switch off paying every date or at least every once in a while. “In a long relationship, I think that the guy and the girl should just switch off paying and not only have one person paying every time,” junior Alexa Kantor said.
The best way to tackle this issue is for whoever asks to go on the date to pay. They are the person who wanted to go out, whether it be the girl or the guy. A rule that couples should follow is to not ask the other out to something that costs money if they cannot afford it. “In my opinion, in the world that we live in today, if women want to be treated equally, they should pay equally,” psychology teacher Amy Buckingham said.