With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, dating expectations resurface. Alongside it is the age-old question: should guys pay for dates?

Traditionally, the answer to this question is yes. Older gender roles put men in the position of being providers and give women more trivial jobs. However, as societal norms have evolved, these roles become less fitting in many relationships.

A pretty universally accepted truth is that the guy should pay for the first date. I agree, especially in cases where the guy asked the girl out on the date. Paying for the first date shows chivalry and respect towards the person they’re on a date with. 

However, I feel like it’s ridiculous to ask and expect someone to pay for everything all the time, especially a teenage boy. These gestures shouldn’t be expected, but rather, appreciated. If someone is making the same amount of money as their partner, or even more, then why is their partner paying for everything?

Iman Ba ‘28 says that she feels like “it should be pretty even,” although she suggests that the guy should pay “for the first few [dates].”

This is not to say that if a guy can comfortably afford it, then that should be something that their partner should be shamed for.

Students believe that women paying for some things breaks the stereotypes around women. “I think that you have to show that women aren’t dependent on men,” says Mia Wolfe ‘27. David Webster ‘27 adds that, “Women are very strong and powerful and can do many things,” emphasizing the idea that women should pay.

At the end of the day, it’s situational. Especially in teenage relationships, it makes sense that the girl shouldn’t rely on the guy for everything. However, it can also be understandable that as people progress throughout life and are making enough to comfortably pay for these things, they follow traditional gender norms.