There is a controversy around paying for dinner once a man asks a woman out on a date. Some people argue that the man should be responsible for paying for dinner after asking a woman out. On the other hand, the argument is that the cheque should be divided between the two people going to the dinner. Regarding the concerns of proper etiquette for paying for dinner, diverse aspects influence either of the perceptions, especially in the typical case where a man asks a woman out for dinner (Li, Freeman and Wohn, 63). Modern perspectives towards dating, cultural norms and expectations, as well as gender dynamics, are factors influencing the opinions; hence their evaluation will provide more precise insights into the proper etiquette for paying for dinner.
Modern perspectives towards dating constitute a significant factor that influences the belief the proper etiquette in paying for dinner is dividing the cheque. Today, people acknowledge the importance of splitting the bill to promote fairness. This argument is supported by the fact that even though the man asks out a woman for a date, going on the actual date is influenced by both parties’ decision to go on a date. Therefore, the willingness to go on a date means that the man and the woman should be willing to contribute equally to the date. Modern society encourages this principle of fairness because it promotes a healthy dating culture where both parties equally treat each other; thus, no one feels indebted to the other (Li et al., 63). It also gives the woman the ability to feel a balanced power in the relationship, which would have otherwise been challenging to achieve if the man paid the dinner bill on his own.
Advanced gender dynamics is another factor influencing the decision to pay the dinner bill. Over time gender dynamics have transformed, and women willingly support splitting the bill during a dinner date with a man. One aspect that influences this decision is the desire of most women to acknowledge their financial independence (Li et al., 63). Therefore, given a woman has the financial ability to share the bill, most women are currently going with the idea. Another aspect within the evolving gender dynamics supporting the splitting of the bill during a dinner date is the concept of gender equality. People are striving to eliminate expectations placed on men that it should solely be their responsibility to pay for dinner if they ask a woman out.
Another factor in play when it comes to deciding how the dinner bill should be paid is cultural norms and traditional expectations. Usually, most cultures still hold traditional beliefs that it is the responsibility of initiating going for dinner to pay for it (Yurtsever, Korkmaz and Cemalcilar, 168). This is because it could be out of the person’s being asked out for dinner budget to afford the bill at the moment of invite. There are also societal expectations that it is a man’s responsibility to pay for dinner regardless of the person initiating the invite. People believe it shows the man’s ability as a provider and to take care of their partner.
Conclusively, various factors such as modern perspectives towards dating, evolving gender dynamics and equality and cultural norms provide diverse perspectives of paying for dinner when a man asks a woman out. Therefore, since these factors are not universal to all persons, the proper etiquette in paying for dinner on a date is open and respectful communication regarding the issue between the parties involved. This way, a man and woman agree on whether to split the bill as per the modern perspectives towards dating and the evolving gender dynamics or the man to take the responsibility as the cultural norms and traditional expectations. Regardless of how the bill is paid, the proper etiquette of paying the bill during a dinner date is based on a mutual agreement between the man and woman involved.
Works Cited
Li, Lingyuan, Guo Freeman, and Donghee Yvette Wohn. “The Interplay of Financial Exchanges and Offline Interpersonal Relationships through Digital Peer-to-Peer Payments.” Telematics and Informatics 63 (2021): 101671.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736585321001106
Yurtsever, Aslı, Arın Korkmaz, and Zeynep Cemalcilar. “Feminism and mate preference: a study on relational cognitive dissonance.” Personality and Individual Differences 168 (2021): 110297.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886920304876
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