Young British women tear up the rule book on dating

A quarter of young British women are dating at least three men at once, according to a study. On average, the typical single woman is seeing 1.46 men at any one time, the researchers found (although how a girl gets to know .46 of a man remains a mystery). The typical singleton dates five men over the course of a year but one in four is seeing three at any one time. Modern women are increasingly turning traditional dating rules on their head, with a third prepared to ask a man to marry them. February 29, which comes around just once every four years, is the only day women are traditionally expected to pop the question. Horrified But modern girls feel they don't need to wait for a leap year. The research showed 24 per cent of unmarried women would happily ask a man to marry them. They might want to think twice, as one in seven men said they would be horrified at the prospect. But more than half of men (54 per cent) said they would be quite happy if their girlfriend proposed and 16 per cent would be over the moon. A quarter of women admit they like the feeling of control that comes from asking a man out and 27 per cent say "traditional dating rules no longer apply". This new forthright attitude goes down well with a third of men, who say they find it refreshing to be asked out.