He Said, She Said: Should men still offer to pay on the first date?

No matter what generation you're in, dating is complicated. As a couple of smug marrieds, 2GB Breakfast host Ben Fordham and I are grateful we found our respective partners and can avoid the minefield of dating.

It seems who pays for the first date is still a point of contention. A study of three US universities shows 60 per cent of men felt guilty about accepting money on the first date, yet 40 per cent of women felt offended if men wouldn't accept money.

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Ben finds this strange. "I don't know of any man out there who would be offended by a woman wanting to pay half the bill. I mean, you can have a bit of a discussion about it," he says.

"I think it's natural to have that back and forth and then in the end, after you've kind of done the polite thing two or three times, you say, 'No worries'. You kind of read the room based on who is the most passionate person about their position."

I always offered to go Dutch — particularly if I didn't think there would be a second date, I would insist on it. It removed expectations. If I thought there would be a second date, I might suggest he pays for the first date and I'll pick up the tab on the second.

However, the same study showed 44 per cent of men said they would stop dating a girl who never paid for dates.

I completely side with the blokes on that one. Women should never take advantage of men for free meals, that's poor form.

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Ben agrees, adding, "But not just when dating, in life in general. If you get a sense that someone around you is there for a freebie, you've got to cut that nonsense out."

Agreed. Generosity is a very attractive quality.

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