Why do guys always pick a tab on a date?

A couple of decades back, ‘who should pay’ was a non-issue. It was very obvious that if a guy and a girl went out on a date, a guy would be the one picking up the tab. But not anymore. With issues like women empowerment, and evolving social norms, women no more feel the need for men to pick up the tab each time they are out on a date. And today it is much more than just paying the bill, it is also about the first impression and how the relationship progresses.

Nimisha Kapoor, a 22-year-old working professional says it is pre-historic to even expect men to pay on a date. “I work, earn my own money and I am fiercely independent. I pay my own bills so obviously I wouldn’t want any guy to pick up the tab for anything. I have been on a couple of dates and have always gone dutch when it comes to money. I don’t think I would even let my husband pay for me.” While Nimisha is of the view that women are equal to men, Kritika Saldanha has a different take to offer. “I think picking up the tab and pulling out a chair for women, all that is chivalrous. It makes a woman feel secure and wanted. But that is my take. While I would love my man to make me feel like a princess, the ‘picking up tab’ routine should stop after the first few dates.”

Psychiatrist Parul Tank says she would like to sit on the fence when it comes to this topic. “Normally it was a done thing for guys to pay on the first date but women are getting increasingly competent and prefer to either go dutch or pick up the tab. I would suggest that men first ask women before they pick up the tab. That way, if the woman has a problem, they can go dutch and if not he can pay.”