Survey by local marriage agency finds that men spend nearly twice as much as women on dates
South Korean men spend nearly twice as much as women on each date, according to a survey released by a local matchmaking agency on Sunday.
In a survey of 506 unmarried men and women aged 25 to 39 last month by Gayeon, men said they spend an average of 145,800 won ($108) per date, while women paid 84,000 won.
When asked how dating expenses should be divided, respondents on average said men should cover 60 percent and women 40 percent, suggesting many view this arrangement as fairer than an even split.
Among the respondents, some 17.8 percent said they argued with their partners over dating expenses, while 55.7 percent said they had not. The remaining 26.5 percent said the question did not apply to them or that they had no dating experience.
A slightly higher share of men reported having arguments, at 19.7 percent, compared with 15.9 percent of women.
Among those who had clashed over money, 37.8 percent said the dispute arose because one partner spent little or nothing. Another 34.4 percent pointed to differences in spending habits or preferences over where to go and what to do on dates.
The biggest source of conflict differed between men and women.
Among men, 48 percent said disagreements stemmed from different spending habits or ideas about how to spend time together. Women, meanwhile, most often cited partners who paid little or nothing, at 40 percent. Another 30 percent said they had faced conflict when a partner insisted on splitting the bill equally despite earning more.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
