Tradition is on the menu during Gen Z date night.
Despite being seen as politically progressive when it comes to gender equality, young American men are still expected to pick up the tab for the women they’re wooing — and they’re more than happy to do so.
A survey of 552 heterosexual college students cited in a new report by The New York Times found that Zoomer men paid for dates 90% of the time.
Gen Z women, on the other hand, paid in full for just 2% of the dates they went on, while 8% of dates were split evenly between the sexes.
“The traditional pattern is still there,” professor Shanhong Luo, who conducted the research, told the publication.
The Times cited one 27-year-old woman who claimed that gender equality wasn’t a reason to expect the fairer sex to split the bill.
“Gender equality didn’t mean men and women should pay the same when they went out,” the unidentified woman purportedly said, saying that females “earn less than men in the workplace, spend more time getting ready for outings, and pay more for reproductive care.”
While many Gen Z women are reluctant to pay for a date, it seems most young men are happy to cover the costs completely.
Scott Bowen, 24, told The Times he “always paid for drinks, meals and coffees on dates,” with the tab usually coming in somewhere between $70 and $100 a pop.
Meanwhile, Kent Barnhill, a 27-year-old data analyst from Washington, D.C., says he has always paid for a paramour on the first date.
“I always establish beforehand that I want to pay,” he explained. “The fact I’m paying more does not bother me.”
However, as a relationship progresses Barnhill is happier to start splitting some costs. He has been dating his current girlfriend for some time, and the pair often divvy up the bill if they go out for drinks or dinner.
For men who are actively trying to find a partner, dating doesn’t come cheap — but many wouldn’t dream of letting a woman whip out her credit card.
“A couple of guys get a little stiff when I offer to pay,” Kala Lundahl, 24, told The Times. “You can tell they’re not comfortable with that idea.”