Chivalry Is Dead: Only One in Three Men Will Pay for the First Date

Ladies, enjoy it while it lasts because chivalry is about to be officially pronounced dead.

A new survey revealed that most straight men would now ask their date to pay a contribution on dates, with 51 percent saying that they are happier to go "Dutch" and split the bill even on the first date.

What's worse is that true gentlemen are numbered these days, with just under one third of men surveyed saying that they would still pay for the first date, with one in five saying that they would be happy to pay for parts of the night like a round of drinks but would not be willing to cover the whole evening.

Disturbingly, a moneygrubbing 5 percent of those surveyed said they would be happy if the roles were reversed and allowed their female companion to fund their evening.

Men cited increasing financial pressures as the number one reason behind not wanting to pay for their date's bill. However, many of those polled also stated that they felt it was unfair or even a little embarrassing to be paying for their female companion. Surprisingly, 91 percent of the men polled said that if the date was going badly, they would be willing to cut their losses and leave early to save money.

A spokesman for FridayFriday.com, the company that conducted the research, said the results show most men are choosing to put financial realities in front of good first impressions when it came to impressing a girl on the first date.

"Social etiquette has always dictated that men pay for a first date, whether it be food, drinks, show tickets or a taxi home - however it seems more men than ever before are choosing to ask for a contribution from their date," he said, according to the Daily Mail.

"This may sound a little unromantic but our poll has revealed that, for many, they simply don't have as much cash as they may once have done and therefore are keen to ensure their spending doesn't spiral," the spokesman added. "Some of those surveyed pointed to the fact that the gap between male and female pay was still shrinking and therefore it wasn't unreasonable to expect some money on their part."

He noted that while chivalry is slipping away, it isn't totally dead, as a small group of men are still determined to pay for the first date, regardless the cost.