UK women are cheap dates
Wednesday, 18 October 2006 12:00
Britain is becoming a nation of cheap dates, with the amount of money men spend wooing potential partners falling ten per cent in the last decade.
But while the nation's women cost less to wine and dine than they did ten years ago, it seems taking a man to dinner in the UK has become a far more costly experience.
Britain's female population now spends 50 per cent more than in 1996 stepping out with Mr Right or at least Mr Right-Now.
In 1996 the average man spent £48 while out with a lady friend, while the average woman spend less than half this at £22.
But new research from Mint shows this position has now changed - with men spending less at £43 while women spend more at £33 on average.
And this change means while men pay less, the overall cost of a date has increased - from £70 to £76 - with women picking up at least part of the tab far more frequently.
Around a fifth (19 per cent) of 25 to 34-year-old women say they have paid the bill on a first date - compared with just nine per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds.
Additionally, nearly half (47 per cent) say they always split the bill on a first date, compared to a third (36 per cent) of their predecessors.
"People are taking control of their own finances and nowhere is this more obvious [than] on the dating scene," said Jerry Toher, managing director of Mint.
"Our research shows that choosing where and when you spend your money is a way for men and women to express their independence."
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