There is a strong school of thought that men should pay on the first date. It’s a universal truth in many places around the world.
And yet, with gender equality such a hot topic of conversation, do women really expect men to keep paying beyond the first date?
To many women, the answer is yes.
To other women, the answer is no.
We’ve posed this question to plenty of individuals, both men and women, over the years. What we’ve found is that the traditional value that deems men the hunters and gatherers is very much still alive. After all, it’s always been the men who go to work and the women who focus on child bearing and maintaining the home and family.
Then there’s the emerging group of women who have a very different perspective on the subject of money and men. They want equality in all senses; equal contribution to the economics of their household/family, equal contribution to the workforce, and equal status. This group of women have no expectation that the responsibility of providing for a family should fall onto the shoulders of men.
So, it seems the answer can’t be boiled down to a simple yes or no.
But there is one thing that all women agree upon, regardless of whether they hold traditional or modern beliefs.
Both groups of women believed that all men should be financially self-sufficient, stable and capable. This seems to be the minimum benchmark set for all men, by women.
On par with poor hygiene and drinking problems, women are turned off by a man with no self-responsibility around money.
When probed as to why that area was so important, the feedback was consistent, that a man who can take care of himself financially displays self-care, self-respect and a level of certainty that is needed for a woman to feel secure.
Most women also attached the notion of ‘masculinity’ to a man being able to manage his own money.
So, regardless of whether you’re dating a traditionalist or a modern woman, one thing’s for sure. The basic, universal benchmark for men is self-responsibility with their money.
But we get that it’s not a topic high on the agenda at boys’ nights or BBQs, and it’s not always something you can go to your dad or a family member with.
That’s why we’ve created our Money For Men events, providing men with a neutral space in a boardroom environment over food and beers to come together with other like-minded blokes and get sorted on the money front.
The evenings are fully interactive, dare we say fun (the blokes seem to laugh a lot!) and every attendee walks away with his very own appreciation of where he’s at and what he needs to do to get where he wants to be.
Most importantly, these events are completely free of sales pitches and jargon. We simply show men how to make money and build wealth from their salaries and business incomes.
Our Money for men events run live in both Melbourne and Sydney. You can read more and register for a night with other like-minded blokes by heading to our events page.