 'I recently dated someone who I believe earned less than me for the first time. Now that's not a problem, but it made me feel so on edge during the dates,' says Cassey*, 26, who now isn't dating said guy. The age-old debate of who pays has been amplified. According to Bumble's 2023 Sex Index, 65% of young single people can't afford to move out of their family home, which has resulted in a poor sex life – they're calling it being 'home blocked'. Meanwhile a report by wellness brand Hims found a third of Brits feel their dating and sex lives have taken a hit due to the cost of living crisis. Money worries create stress – the biggest psychological killer of arousal – and literally limit your ability to go out and meet people. And even when you do, there's the dynamic of meeting someone who has greater spending power than you do. It's made dating even more awkward. Cassey told us: 'I didn't feel like I could order everything I wanted, or have that extra drink in case it put him out of pocket. 'It would always take him so long to get his card out and pay which then forced me to just pay a few times as it was such an awkward encounter. 'I think he didn't see me a few times because he didn't have the money which is a shame. 'Now I'm not saying if you don't have money don't date, but you need to be dating within your bracket and doing activities or dinners you can afford.' Deborah Grey, a 41-year-old communications professional, has struggled on the other side of the coin. 'As a pansexual woman, I date people irrespective of their gender,' she says. 'Ideally this means my dating pool is bigger than that of heterosexual people. A lack of funds has made it harder to date (Picture: Deborah Grey) 'However, as I'm also a big believer in equality, I never go out unless I can foot half the bill for food and entertainment.' Unfortunately, her financial incomings have shrunk dramatically – and now it's affecting her romantic life.){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
‘I recently dated someone who I believe earned less than me for the first time. Now that’s not a problem, but it made me feel so on edge during the dates,’ says Cassey*, 26, who now isn’t dating said guy.
The age-old debate of who pays has been amplified.
According to Bumble’s 2023 Sex Index, 65% of young single people can’t afford to move out of their family home, which has resulted in a poor sex life – they’re calling it being ‘home blocked’.
Meanwhile a report by wellness brand Hims found a third of Brits feel their dating and sex lives have taken a hit due to the cost of living crisis.