-wine me dine me, but il pay my own bills.

I have friends who make me wonder whether they know the difference between a gentleman whom your in a relationship with, and a sugar daddy. Look at it this way, in a relationship, a man is always seen as the main pillar in the support systems. He is expected to actually take responsibility for all the financial matters, except the actual spending of the money.
Sort of like boy deposits ....girl withdraws.
He is expected to have a job that covers his girlfriend's expenses, which include; Rent, clothes, shopping, hair styling, Make-up, entertainment... oooh and not forgetting his own expenses.
But all this are after the woman has had her own fill.
And i think we need to draw boundaries that are fair to both parties in the relationship. Why is it that the man should be the sole provider when the woman is actually earning the same or more? which brings me to a popular feminine adage saying "your money, is our money, my money is mine alone" ....what a pity!
Some of my female friends say they will only get into a relationship if a man is willing to foot all the bills, to be honest we are now living in an age of healthy competition between the sexes. At this point, a line from the song do me by PsQuare from Nigeria comes to mind
"what a man can do, a woman can do"
lets be honest, many women these days, are not looking for men to pay their bills. Because many of them are financially empowered. However, we do need to know that he can. two things are important to a woman in a relationship: her need to be loved, and her need to feel protected and provided for.
Male and female relationships are made of commitment and continuity. Woman prefer friendship, love and companionship. But they do need to know that money is there, that there is someone watching over us, someone who has our best interests at heart.
ideally financial obligations should be shouldered equally. it is ridiculous that women should take the back seat especially when she is earning a handsome salary. Realistically "man of the house" as he would like to be known, should be ready to meet any extra monetary expenses if called to do so. It is not really about money, well it isn't for me and am sure for many of us who are truly in love, But this is an outward expression of affection. By putting his money where his mouth is, a man shows that she can rely on him and that he will not leave her when the going gets tough....after all "he is the man of the house"