How Much Does A Woman Cost To Date?

Pea hits the beach to interview random people about modern dating expectations — who should pay, how much a date should cost, whether women would demand a man cover their Uber and babysitter, and what the 80/20 rule really means in practice. The interviews reveal surprising consensus on some points and sharp divides on others, with both men and women weighing in on everything from first-date etiquette to whether men and women can truly be just friends.

The setup: women demanding men pay for transportation and childcare ​

• Pea references a recent story about women texting men before dates with their Zelle or Apple Pay info, expecting him to cover not just dinner but also her Uber fare and babysitting fees
• She finds this ridiculous and uses it as a launching point for her interviews

Who should pay for the first date? ​

• Near-universal consensus from women: the man should pay
• One woman frames it as a gentleman test — "the first date is a way to make a good first impression, show you're a gentleman"
• That same woman says if asked to split, she'd pay for her own portion, then block his number — no second date
• She clarifies she always brings her own money so she's "never stuck stranded," but she won't volunteer it
• One man says it depends "if the girl's going to put out or not" — judges based on "the vibe they're putting off"
• He admits he's asked women to pay half and "most of the time" didn't get a second date, acknowledging "I don't think it's the right move"
• A male interviewee says definitively the man should pay and that "how much it should cost depends on how much he's valuing that woman"

The Uber/babysitter question ​

• Every single woman Pea asks says no — she would not send a man her Zelle for Uber or babysitting
• First woman: "It's my responsibility" for her child and transportation
• One woman emphatically: "Absolutely not, nope nope nope, that's on me"
• Interestingly, the first woman also says other women who do it aren't wrong — "it's their choice" — even though she personally wouldn't
• The Canadian guy has the funniest response: rather than pay for a babysitter, he'd say "bring the kid to dinner instead" — that way he can see if the kid is "a good kid or if he's a little shit, then I'm like maybe that's the way the mom's treating him too"
• One man says a woman sending her Cash App before the first date is "a big turn off" and a sign she's "not ready to go on the date" — he'd cancel

How much should a man make / does income matter? ​

• Every woman asked says income doesn't matter
• "As long as he's kind and caring, it doesn't matter"
• One woman says she'd even date someone making less than her — "I'm not going to look at him any less because everyone does something different"
• Multiple women say they'd be happy going to McDonald's — one enthusiastically says she'd order a Happy Meal
• "It's the personality and all of that stuff, so I definitely don't take any of that into play at all"

The 80/20 rule (80% of women only like 20% of men) ​

• Both men and women broadly agree this is real
• First woman explains: "Women are more picky since they choose who they want"
• One woman says women "have specific standards" and if a man doesn't fall in those categories "they don't even acknowledge them," while guys "just look at a girl and like hey let's go on a date"
• The Canadian guy agrees but adds an important caveat: "some girls date down" if a guy is funny — "funny replaces height"
• He claims humor is how he gets girls despite not being tall: "sometimes funny replaces height, so that helps"

What should the other 80% of men do? ​

• First woman's advice: "Go talk in person" instead of relying on online messages
• The Canadian guy (joking): "Go gay" — then seriously: "Just be yourself, be funny, I think you have to have a good personality... the looks are going to go away sooner or later anyways"
• One woman honestly admits: "Have fun being single or get used to being single — I don't know, I really don't know"
• Going overseas to look for love? Multiple interviewees say yes, that's a valid option

Where to meet people / is dating easier with social media? ​

• First woman says to meet people "in church" — repeated three times for emphasis
• The Canadian guy says dating apps make it easier to meet people but not to actually date — "You get 100 matches and you're not going to go on one date"
• He notes the bar scene isn't as big as it used to be for relationships (maybe for one-night stands)
• He works from home which makes meeting people even harder
• One woman was only on Tinder for a few days during COVID 2020 and says in places like Daytona Beach, Tinder is basically a "booty call" app
• Pea agrees it's culturally similar in the Philippines — "it's a big no-no to approach a man, you'll be crucified if you do that"

What men and women don't understand about each other ​

• First woman: men and women express feelings completely differently
• The Canadian guy: "We don't care as much as they think we do" — men sometimes just want solo time or time with friends, and it doesn't mean they don't love their partner
• One woman gets real about sex: "Having sex is a big thing for girls... once I've opened up to you, now we have like an invisible string" — and if the guy walks away after, her feelings are hurt because women "go with their heart and their feelings more"

Physical preferences and deal breakers ​

• First woman's three physical qualifications: his smile, his eyes, and his height (prefers 5'10" and up, though she's 5'7")
• Her deal breaker: a man who is "really hairy," especially back hair — "Oh, I don't like that"
• She says there's no such thing as "too tall"

Makeup as a deal breaker ​

• One man says too much makeup on a first date is a deal breaker: "She's covering up... I want natural, organic, I'm not looking for makeup"

Can men and women be just friends? ​

• One man flatly: "No"

Pea's takeaways ​

• She's surprised that almost every woman said income doesn't matter
• Most surprising: both sexes said there are plenty of quality people out there just waiting to go on a date

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