UP TO 26,000 WOMEN CONSIDER PROPOSING TO THEIR PARTNER ON 29TH FEB
With the tradition of women proposing to men on a leap day dating back to the fifth century, this year could see those proposals generating a boost to the economy of almost £50 million, according to new research.
The study from leading savings site, VoucherCodes.co.uk, 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’d 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.
But, it’s not just the happy couple that would reap the benefits. If all those who are considering proposing take the plunge on 29th February, 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).
Despite the uptake in the longstanding tradition, many women believe that they should be free to propose to their male partner whenever they feel the time is right. 58% of those who say they’d propose would not wait for 29th February to come around.
Top five reasons British women give for wanting to propose:
| Rank | Top reasons women give for wanting to propose | Percentage |
| 1 | Because we are equal, and I should be able to if I want to | 58% |
| 2 | If I was fed up of waiting for him to ask me | 22% |
| 3 | To take the pressure off my partner | 12% |
| 4 | If it was a leap year | 12% |
| 5 | Because it is empowering | 11% |
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 do the asking. 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.
