Couples should “absolutely not” split the bill on a first date, a romance expert has advised. 

The question is one that many daters find a little bit awkward. 

Traditionally, the man has always paid on a heterosexual date. 

However, some believe that in an age of gender equality, couples should split the bill. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Mairead Loughman explained why she believes those people are making a mistake. 

 “Most people these days are going for a coffee date, so if they can’t afford a cup of coffee, they’ve bigger issues,” she said. 

“They need to go work on their finances before they start dating. 

“It just doesn’t leave a good taste in someone’s mouth - especially if they’re getting on well and things are going good.

“I don’t split the bill and I don’t say to a friend of mine, ‘Oh, you get your coffee and I’ll get mine. 

“I either get the coffee or they get the coffee.” 

A couple fighting over the bill on a first date. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Ms Loughman said it “doesn’t really matter who it is”, but that she feels “women have more to lose” when they start dating a man. 

“Women like to know if a man can be a provider,” she said. 

“So, say there’s two people in a relationship; they both earn €100,000. 

“By the time she actually goes and has the baby, her maternity benefit is €198 per week and therefore, by the end of the six months, she’s down €33,000. 

“If that couple decides to have three kids, her salary is down €100,000 over the lifetime of having those kids. 

“That’s just one example.” 

With that in mind, Ms Loughman said women “kind of need to know” that a man can afford to help her with the bills.

Main image: A couple get the bill of a first date. Picture by: Alamy.com.