In spite of this, 84 per cent of the men polled say they still pick up the bill on most dates. It all points to a lot of confusion about traditional gender roles.

According to the findings of a U.S. survey of more than 17,000 men and women on NBCNEWS.com, 84 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women report that men still pay for most expenses even after dating for a while.

Over half of the women surveyed said they offered to pay for their share of the bill - but more than a third admitted that any offer they made was empty and they hoped their date would reject it.

However, researchers claim 'the deep-rooted courtship ritual around who pays is changing' as couples of all ages reject the idea that the man should always foot the bill for dates.

Couples in their 20s are more likely to be open to financial equality than older age groups, but the general feeling about sharing expenses was changing across all ages, incomes and levels of education.

Researchers found that four in ten couples shared the bills to some extent during the first month of dating and this rose to over seven in ten after six months. 

But many men admitted to finding it hard to completely ignore the old-fashioned rules of engagement - three quarters of them confessed to feeling guilty about accepting payment from their love interests.

Dr David Frederick, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Chapman University, New York, who co-wrote the study, said: 'Some gendered practices are more resistant to change than others; for example, the acceptance of women in the workplace versus holding onto traditional notions of chivalry.'

The results were presented in New York to the American Sociological Association's 108th Annual Meeting yesterday, where academics gathered to discuss inequality on modern societies.