How often do women pay for dinner today?

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I'm a waitress and recently I had the funniest experience. A couple came in late Saturday night and sat for a very long time talking and eating. They were very friendly and joked around with me more than anyone I've ever served. So, I go back to the table after a while and talk to them for a minute. I then ask them if they were ready for their check or if they wanted desert. They were ready, so I sat the check down on the woman's side of the table. It wasn't planned, she was just on the same side as I was holding the check. Anyway, the man freaks out, but not in a bad way at all. He said that in his 36 years of life he has never had a server lay the check down on the woman's side of the table. Apparently, this impressed him very much. He pulled out his wallet and handed me a twenty dollar bill just for that! Then he left me a couple more dollars when he paid for his meal. I have never had this happen to me before. Normally I just lay the check in the middle of the table because I've noticed that many women pay for meals now. I know that I pay at least half of the time. I guess it comes with women gaining more power in the workplace and relationships. This leads to my question- how often do you think that women pay for dinner today compared to men? Why do you think this is the case?