> "But if so many Gen Z women are progressives who believe men and women are exactly the same, then why do they still want men to pay on the first date?"

Maybe because women in general, and feminists in particular, adopt plenty of double standards: they want equality when it suits them, but favor old privileges and chivalry whenever feels good to them.

And this is NOT a recent phenomenon: feminism began with double standards. The first suffragettes fought for the right to vote, but of course they were opposed to military service for women (as a matter of fact, they often shamed men into going to war - check "feminism and white feathers"). So, in a sense, feminism is — and always has been — sexist: rights for women, duties for men.

No wonder, then, that even nowadays’ progressives and young people keep on thinking in sexist terms: women’s rights (they can do anything they want) and men’s duties (taking the initiative, paying for dates, etc.).