International Women's Day on March 8, 2011 celebrates the worldwide contributions of women, but there are plenty of men out there wondering why women don't contribute to the tab on more dates.
Since the inception of International Women's Day in 1909, there have been monumental changes in female lifestyles, careers and social expectations, but the tradition of men paying for dinner (and other dating options) continues in America. We're not talking about all couples on all dates, of course, but the general rule of thumb is this: the host, or person who does the inviting, is the person who is expected to provide. If a man wants women to pay for dates, he can sit back and wait for them to approach and ask him out, always the guest and never the host.... and, for the most part, not dating much, good luck with that.
If you are a proponent of complete equality between the sexes, you may argue that women should, indeed, pay equally in a romantic dating relationship. But the argument about women earning less than men, on average, for the same job at the same education level, persists. Let's look beyond the paycheck, though, and deal with the real money issue here: maintenance.
Even the lowest level of self-maintenance for a naturally attractive, thrifty gal costs more than the lifestyle of a basically low-maintenance guy. The monthly expenditures of a woman and that of a man are vastly different, due to products and wardrobe variances that men seem to enjoy and expect from a woman who is dateable. Ignoring any shopoholics and shoe queens of America for a moment, let's compare apples to apples... but wait, there are some health and body differences between the sexes so they cannot be considered truly comparable.
Feminine hygiene products, nail/hair/skin care, reproductive medical needs, are some basic categories that members of the male persuasion do not require in their budget. If a man is lucky enough to find a lass who turns him on with a totally natural look, he should realize she's one in a million and so is he, but she's still going to have more medical expenses and personal product needs over her lifetime than is he. On the topic of child-bearing or body bits associated with it, let's realize the average woman handles monthly cycles for 40 years of her life, and drug stores benefit from female pocketbooks.
The male protects the producer of the species, however delicate or strong she may be, in the animal kingdom and the human race. The caveman used to bring home the bison, the Renaissance man tried to keep a wife from disease and harm to raise his offspring and support his place in society, the Victorian man tried to keep women quiet about politics and education while benefitting from female involvement in the Industrial Era, and the sexual revolution man got confused, but also got laid, so.... here we are.
Staying at the top of the food chain may mean continuing to pay for the grub a little longer, gentlemen, and the ladies who appreciate what's called "old fashioned" societal mores and manners on a date are usually the same females who will share the bill later on in the relationship, if you're willing to last that long.
A single thought: Put it on my tab.
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