After days or weeks of great conversation, you decide to take things to the next level by saying yes to a date.
You get there, and the conversation and drinks are flowing. No red flags so far. You are both vibing and already planning the second date. Life is great.
Then your server swings by with the bill, and awkward silence falls upon your previously chatty table. The mood changes as you stare at the cute guy, waiting for him to make a move to pick up the check, only for you to catch him also staring at you. You both sit for what feels like forever, waiting for someone to finally pick up the bill.
Back in the day, social norms dictated that “the man” pick up the tab. But times have changed a lot, with more women getting paid just as much as men and continuously fighting for equality. As a result, the question of who foots the bill on a first date has become a constant, thorny issue.
The hosts weigh in on this tricky, age-old conversation on the second episode of the Feminine Expressions Podcast (FEP) produced by the Pulse Podcast Network.
For Big Chief Enkay, the answer is simple: whoever invites the other on the date should pay. "I think the way they see it is like, 'Since we women are asking for 50/50 and equality, we should also do that when it comes to splitting bills on the first date.' That's why I say it's on whoever invites the other out," she stated.
While FEP co-host, Teso Uwaibi, believes that women should have the guts to ask men out instead of waiting to be asked, she is adamant that the bill is the man's responsibility.
In her words, "You see, I don't know where this thing came about with men wanting us to split the bill because we know that patriarchy is the one that created the 50/50 notion anyway, and it was the only benefit of patriarchy that women get. All of a sudden now, you are egalitarian."
So, whose side are you on? Should the man or woman foot the bill on the first date? Watch the full episode below and drop your thoughts in the comment section.
If She Doesn't Offer To Split the Bill on the First Date It's a Giant Red Flag is the second episode of the second season of the Feminine Expressions Podcast. New episodes drop at 10 am every Friday.
This episode is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Soundcloud. Follow the Pulse Podcast Network on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to keep up with new episodes.