Opinion: Guys Should Always Pay For Dates Because Being A Woman Is Expensive

Some guys can get a little weird when it comes to footing the bill for a date. I know this may be a controversial opinion but I think they should willingly pick up the tab considering it’s way more expensive to be a woman.

1. Women’s razors and deodorants are 11% more expensive than men’s. I was shocked when I found this out but it makes sense! If I had my own deodorant company, I’d charge women more because it’s way more embarrassing to smell bad as a woman than a man, period. Women need deodorant, so charging us more makes sense from a business perspective. When men smell bad, it’s kinda like a badge of honor—a really disgusting badge of honor.
2. Women’s clothing is on average 40% more expensive than men’s. Again, not surprising. The women’s section is also way bigger than the men’s. In general, women care more about our appearance because, well, men care more about women’s appearances. It’s sad but true, so we’re willing to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes and shoes just so guys will approve of us, whereas guys can look “hot” to women in a white t-shirt they bought from Walmart. So unfair. 
3. We pay thousands more on essential products over our lifetime than men do. Another reason why men should pay! When you zoom out on the amount of money women spend on personal care products, it’s exponentially higher than most men. All guys need is shaving cream, deodorant, a razor blade, soap and maybe some body spray. Women can spend $50 on eyeshadow alone. If guys are OK with us not wearing makeup, having messy hair and hairy legs, then by all means, let’s split the bill. 
4. In general, we get paid less than men. The wage gap has been a popular topic of conversation for the last several years and we’ve made some big steps towards equality. For example, in the state of California, it’s now a rule that corporations need to have at least one woman on the board of directors. That’s progress! But there’s still a sizeable gap between how much women are paid compared to men. As of 2018, women in America got paid (on average) 80.5 cents for every dollar a man made. Until the wage gap is nonexistent, men should be paying for dinner. Sorry.
5. We need to buy menstrual products every damn month! On top of the makeup, hair products, and expensive clothes, we also have to shell out about $10 per month on pads and tampons. This is something we need and if we can’t find these products on sale, we could be spending up to $15 on a box of tampons and a pack of pads. 
6. A woman’s haircut is crazy expensive. Why is it that a haircut for a guy is like $20, but a woman’s haircut is closer to $80? I got a deal recently on Groupon for a $50 haircut and I got all giddy because it felt like a really good deal. Again, people who own salons know that women are more likely to care about our appearance and come in for regular haircuts, so of course they’re going to charge more.
7. There’s pressure for us to always be well-groomed and perfect looking. Maybe we wouldn’t be spending all this money on personal care products and clothes if we didn’t see billboards of picture perfect women everywhere. We’ve been taught from a young age that a big part of our worth lies in our looks. Luckily that’s changing, but it will take a while until people start accepting that women don’t need to look like Barbie dolls in order to have value. 
8. Makeup is stupidly expensive. The fact that Sephora exists is the only argument I need for this point. A good bottle of foundation can cost up to $80. Even if you use bargain makeup, putting together a whole kit can be expensive—and let’s not forget brushes, nail polish, makeup remover, cotton balls, etc. Looking good costs money. 
9. Men are more judgmental about appearance than women are. Men always say that they’re visual creatures. Well, if they’re going to be that way, they can’t complain when they have to pick up the check. We’re spending hundreds of dollars looking good for guys because the powers that be have set it up so that our beauty routine is an expensive one. All they had to do was wash their face, trim their beard, and put on deodorant.
10. Women pay more for insurance than men do. This was kind of a surprising one. I recently read that women pay more in mortgage rates than men because they tend to go with a recommended lender as opposed to choosing the lender at the lowest rate. Probably recommended by a man! Ugh. Women also get charged more for car insurance because as the old adage goes, “Women can’t drive.”