Dowries aside, traditionally the brides family has paid more for the pair bonding ceremonies and rituals in our culture. The engagement ring, being seen as part of that may may not have been enough to tip the scales of economic equality in favor of the brides side. This is in response to the part of the OP’s question. “What does the groom get of equal value in return.” Now, everybody does what they want. That’s cool.

I would be interested in a study to determine, amongst childless swingers, or swingers who are dating single mothers, “who pays more from the time the trist or uncommitted affair is intitiated until it is over, the man or the woman?” Do men and women who practice this modern, liberal lifestyle indefinitely make any economic occurences 100% equal, as it seems they would want to because of the evolutionary demands of that very liberation and equality? I am sure piggington swingers do but what would the results of broad poll determine?
Take Tiger Woods for example, he probably paid everything towards his happy swinging life and the women paid nothing or they paid with money that he gave them. That just really amuses me. He could at least shoot for 40/60 or just do things they could both afford…like go outside and get some fresh air. Did he really have to pay for that sex? How neanderthal can you get.