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Girls pay for their dresses, so that's an expense for her and her guy's benefit.
Guys paying for girls to go places is really a nice gesture, but it makes me feel pretty awkward- I don't need a guy to pay me (which is kind of what it amounts to) to be with him if I like him- and if he did pay for me, I'd feel like I owed him something. On the other hand, who's going to pass up a freebie? wink

I agree, I helped pay for my prom, but some of my girls didn't. Most of my girlfriends had their parent pay for their dresses as well, and I don't really think having you parents pay is quite the same. My boyfriend doesn't like me to pay for a lot of our dates and the like, but I think that it is more for the reason that I don't have alot of money right now and he has a bit saved up so he doesn't want me spending all my money when he can help out without really hurting his finances. I think girls should help, if we want to be more independent, then we should. The main reason that the guys payed for everything back then was because they were the only ones working, the girls usually didn't have any money.

I think you just described this all perfectly. 3nodding

I agree, this sums up the most important reasoning to take into consideration here.

Previously, it made sense for the guy to pay for everything because men were the ones in power and making money, thus it made sense for the guy to pay for everything. Even if the woman made some money, she would need a guy willing to spend for her. Well, at least that was part of "wooing" a lady.

However, the push for womens' rights started shifting the balance. Starting is important to note because there wasn't an immediate equalization; women didn't suddenly have money appearing in their pockets, but the past few generations have grown up believing in women being equal so the potential for seeing perfect balance exists.

We live in a time where women (even young women) can go through just as much trouble as a man to get a job and some cash. Paying for the other person is a sign of caring, sure, which says a lot about a woman that expects a guy to pay for everything. (A couple of names come to mind: spoiled brat, slutty b***h, or hypocrit.)

Now, a woman who WANTS to but CAN'T lies in a completely different territory. I pay for a lot of the food for my friends, for example. That's because I make more money than any of them, it's the considerate thing to do. Even still, some will occasionally treat me. This might not be simple friendships but it demonstrates that we care for eachother on some level.

The person who asks should be the one to offer to pay. There is nothing less classy than a guy who asks a girl out and then expects to go dutch. He should have an activity planned, too. There are few things more annoying than a guy who invites you out and then asks you what you want to do in that plantive voice that says he didn't think about it before hand.

Of course, if the girl asks the guy out, it is her responsibility to pay. If he won't let her pay for him, she should insist on at least paying for herself.

On normal dates, whoever did the asking should do the paying.

For prom, since it's really expensive, costs should be split. The girls should pay for their half, and the guys pay for theirs.

It's ridiculous that your friends wouldn't go because their boyfriends wouldn't pay, and it's ridiculous that your friends' boyfriends wouldn't pay if they know their girlfriends wouldn't go if they didn't.

I honestly don't understand why males have to pay everything in social situations these days, but it's usually unquestionable to most.