Women on top in modern dating

Modern women are sassy, sexy and assertive looking for equality and a good time, a survey into dating habits has found.

Men, by contrast, remain traditional and almost half admit to being shy when dating.

The results come from a survey of more than 2,000 people conducted by This is London dating partner DatingDirect.com.

While more than half of the men questioned still felt they should cover the costs of the first date, two thirds of women said they’d prefer to 'go dutch' or pay for the lot.

And while women are often thought of as passive and romantically nervous while men are ‘hunters’, the survey found that 44% of the men questioned felt shy when dating. Only 29% of women felt shy.

The gender divide reared its head regarding fashion with a high proportion of men following a "take me as I am" approach to dating clothes - opting for a casual and relaxed style - whereas women wanted to feel sexy and smart on a first date.

When picking a partner, both genders felt education was important (44 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women) and both groups appreciated etiquette and generosity.

But for men one thing stands the test of time … looks. The most popular factor in choosing an online date for males is a photograph of the potential match. Only 15 per cent of women confessed to the same behaviour, with most saying personal description was the most important factor.