Popping the £48 Million Dollar Question?

It’s that time again, one that has birthed an interesting tradition, where women propose to men.

2020 is a Leap year, meaning there is an extra day in February, the 29th, encouraging this tradition of role reversal. But where does this tradition come from?

The tradition stems from Bachelors day, an Irish tradition on Leap days allowing women to initiate dances and propose marriage. In the UK, a woman was allowed to propose marriage on a leap day and if refused the man was obliged to buy her new gloves on Easter Day. In some areas a woman was allowed to propose for the entire leap year.

This new tradition could mean an enormous boost for the economy.

According to research from Voucher Codes, spending on engagement rings following female proposals on 29th February could add as much as £48 million to the UK economy, but most women who say they’d propose feel that they should be free to do so whenever they like.

The study from the leading savings site, asked heterosexual single women whether they would ever consider proposing to their other half. With 3% saying that they would, and a little over one in ten of those stating that they would do it specifically because it’s a leap year (12%), this means there could be as many as 25,784 women getting down on one knee on 29th February.

Professor Joshua Bamfield, Director of the Centre for Retail Research at VoucherCodes, said: “In the modern world, when so many other traditions have been abandoned without much regret, it is surprising that 97 times out of 100 the male is the one expected to ask his partner for her hand in marriage.

“In fact, VoucherCodes’ research shows that this tradition is not universally popular. Twelve per cent of males faced by a woman popping the question would breathe a sigh of relief, although 11% would be disappointed as these men are keen to observe the old traditions.”

It's not just the happy couple that would reap the benefits. If all those who are considering proposing take the plunge, the UK economy could see a boost of up to £48.2 million based on how much the average couple plans to spend on engagement rings alone (£1,871 per ring.)

Bamfeild added: “On top of the boost from the sale of engagement rings, considering the number of marriages each year in the UK, a further £95 million could be spent on wedding days resulting from female proposals this leap year.”

Many men are also keen on the idea of being proposed to by their girlfriend, with over a third (35%) admitting that it would take the pressure off them having to ask. However, 12% would still consider it to be emasculating, while 11% would be disappointed if they were asked by their partner – but only because they wanted to be the one to get down on one knee.

Anita Naik, Lifestyle Editor at VoucherCodes.co.uk added: 

“It’s 2020 and the tradition of men always being the one to propose could become a thing of the past. But, for many women, having a dedicated day for female proposals might provide the confidence they need to pop the question.”

It seems this is a growing tradition, one liked by both men and women alike! So get moving girls, we no longer need to wait for the man to make the first move.