Paying for Dates: Who Follows and Who Challenges Traditional Gender Norms?

Traditional notions of chivalry dictate that when a man and woman go out on a "date," the man pays, whereas egalitarian ideals suggest gender should not determine who pays for the entertainment expenses. Using a survey posted on the official website of NBC News, we asked 17,067 unmarried heterosexual men and women to report their attitudes and behaviors regarding who pays and who they believe should pay for dates. Consistent with traditional gender norms: Most men (84%) and the majority of women (58%) reported that men pay for most expenses even after the couple has been dating for a while; many women (39%) wished men would reject women's offers to pay for dates; and many men (76%) reported feeling guilty accepting women's offers to pay. In contrast to the traditional norms, however, 4 in 10 men and women agree that dating expenses are usually at least partially shared within the first month. Associations of these attitudes with gender ideology, age, income, education, and relationship duration were also examined. These data provide an empirical test of the extent to which people are resisting or conforming to traditional gender norms in one aspect of dating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]