It’s a staple joke of stand-up comics and sitcoms everywhere that women take longer to get ready for an evening out than it does men. One source recently estimated the breakdown of a young lady’s pre-date schedule like this:

Nearly two hours! And that’s if she’s doing everything herself, already has the perfect ensemble, doesn’t want to do anything crazy with her hair, and so on.

I meant good crazy.

A special date takes special preparation

Now take a look how the time she invests jumps when she hopes the date will be something special:

That’s nearly half of a workday spent on getting ready for a first date! How can she know if the guy is worth the time and expense? Yes, expense: That right outfit and right shoes can be downright expensive, costing maybe half of what the woman makes in one day. In other words, women can spend an entire day of work getting prepared for a first date.

Keep in mind that some women have extremely short workdays.

Men invest in dates, too …

What do guys do, buy flowers? That takes ten minutes, max. If it’s a fancy evening planned, he wears a suit or other nice clothing he no doubt already owns. Ditto for his shoes. If he’s a successful man, he probably already has his hair cut, neckline trimmed, and so on. Let’s break it down:

So that’s 40 minutes, as much as three hours less than it takes an average women to get herself gorgeous. Gee, can you spare it, fellas?

Of course, on traditional dates—certainly on first dates—the man is expected to pay for everything. It makes the woman feel special, even pampered, and makes the guy feel confident and (don’t deny it) attractive. Let’s say the man lays out $200 for this first date, dining at a nice restaurant with perhaps a drink or two, dancing at a cool club, and so on. Depending on how much the man makes, this could represent much less than the relative amount the woman spent in time and money.

“He gave me a can of hobo chili and everything!”

… just not as much

Let’s not forget that many first dates are less-expensive affairs since it’s “getting to know you” time. Hence the proverbial walks on the beach, or dining from a food truck at a cool place, taking in an art exhibit, just going for a long drive to gaze at the stars. Many of these kinds of first-date activities are low-cost or even free.

So what have we learned? A woman can spend an entire workday on this date, and it’s being generous to say that a man might spend half that. Take into consideration that women make just 73 cents for each dollar a man brings in, and the “relative amount spent” gap grows even wider.

“Balderdash! It’s at least 79 cents!”

WhatsYourPrice eliminates discomfort over money

This is why WhatsYourPrice.com exists.

The guy is not paying the girl to go on a first date with him, and he certainly is not paying for first-date sex! In fact, we strongly recommend not jumping into bed the first time you get together. Anticipation makes the heart quicken and makes the imagination come to life. Who wants to skip the sumptuous meal and go right to a (possibly disappointing) dessert?

Instead, WhatsYourPrice is about leveling the playing field, making a lady feel like she’s not risking as much financially just by going on a first date. Her expense of time and money she invests is recompensed by the amount the man bids for a date with her. Then neither party feels like the other “owes” them anything. That makes them free to have something experts in psychology call “fun.”

Forget diamonds (for now)—thoughtfulness is a girl’s best friend

Far from some kind of insult, bidding on a date is respectful. It says “I appreciate your time and effort to be stunning for this first encounter.” It says the gentleman thinks first of the woman who is his date for the evening, before even what they will do. And as any woman can tell you, consideration goes a long, long way to create desire for a second date.

Later dates may provide other incentives to keep getting together.

What’s your idea of a great first date?