To find out how dating has changed over the last 50 years, My Voucher Codes surveyed young people in the UK to find out how they felt about the traditional dating values and whether courtship between couples was the same now as it was in the past.

They found, 52% of men and 58% of women did not think that traditional values of courtship between couples still apply today. Furthermore, the research revealed that 35% of men feel that meals should be shared 50/50 whilst 41% of women don’t expect men to pay for the whole date.

A contentious subject about calling after a date also was highlighted with 57% of men and 71% of women, not feeling the need to call the next day after a date. And the norm now for arranging a date is considered to be via social media, rather than calling with 29% of men and women are happy to arrange a date this way. Social media also plays another important part before a date, 33% of men and women admit to looking up their date online beforehand!

Final social norms also now seem to dictate more freedoms and less taboos when it comes to sex, with 37% of men and women stating that sex on a first date is acceptable. Certainly different to generations past. To highlight the significant changes in dating, My Voucher Codes created this time line of significant changes over the last few decades which have impacted the way we now date.

Speaking about the results, Mark Pearson founder of MyVoucherCodes said:

“Love is never simple, even though now we have more technology helping us to find a partner, it can feel like it has never been more complicated. It’s no surprise traditional dating values are no longer considered as important as they once were, as dating now is so different. In addition changes to how we view equality and strides made by feminists, mean a lot of men now see women as their equals, so they are more than happy to share the cost of a date. And it seems women are more than happy to pay their share.”

He added:

“History and events have also shaped how we date, it’s easy to forget even 20 to 30 years ago we were actually pretty liberal. We had the sexual revolution in the 1960’s and hedonistic lifestyles of rock stars. Promiscuity become more widely accepted as previous values which had once guided many people were now been blurred with new found freedoms.”

So the next question to ask is, how will dating change in the next half century?