A woman has sparked a debate after stating why she believes men should cover the check on dates.
In a video posted on the platform in November, TikTok user Kiera Breaugh said there should be no expectation for women to split the check on a date - and that doing so would be "patriarchal".
"One of the most insidious and ridiculous effects of the patriarchy is literally women paying 50/50," Breaugh told her 270,000 followers.
Check out what she had to say below:"Men going around being like: ‘It’s 2021, equal rights, right? You’re going to pay 50/50,’" she continued. "The fact that men expect 50/50 from women when women don’t get 50 percent of anything."
She went on to say that, despite expectations to contribute to the check, women do not receive 50 percent of the “money,” “safety,” “privilege,” or “space.”
“But pay, pay equal amounts even though you don’t have equal right,” Breaugh added. “Do you understand how ridiculous that is?”
She then said requesting that a woman pays 50/50 on a date is a way for men to “pretend women are equal before they get equal”.
"It benefits men to say: ‘Oh yeah, I’m a feminist, I believe in women paying 50/50 on dinner dates,’” she explained. “And that is the only time they believe in equality."
“Make his pockets hurt,” she concluded.
At the time of writing, the video has racked up more than 481,000 views and has led to a real debate in the comments.
One person wrote in agreement: "No but it's really the only time men will even bring up feminism voluntarily [you] just opened my eyes."
Another added: "Making less money than a man, working the same amount of hours, having to do 90% of the housework... 50/50 is a scam."
However, not everyone agreed with the sentiment, with one adding: "I feel sorry for women who think like this."
Another critic said: "You have equal pay and equal rights. If anything you have better rights than most men, but you ain't ready to talk about that."
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Breaugh did clarify that she believes splitting the bill is justified in cases where the man earns less than the woman.
“Women don’t make as much as men, so generally, if men are the ones inviting you out on the date, I think they should pay for the bill,” she said. “If a woman makes a lot more money than her partner, then obviously she should be contributing to rent.”
“If you’re in a partnership, and when things get long-term, I think it makes sense to go sort of income-based, maybe, so whoever makes more [pays more],” she added.
