Nearly one in 30 women are bound to propose this leap year

  Woman proposing to a man

According to a research done by relationship website eHarmony.co.uk, around 150,000 women who are currently dating in Britain are planning to pop the marriage question on February 29, 2016.

This tradition is attributed to 5th century Ireland, when St. Brigid complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait too long for men to propose.

She suggested that women should be able to pop the question too and in exchange, St. Patrick suggested that proposals should be permitted on ‘leap days’, reports say.

  Woman proposing to a man

But research says more than 29% still feel it's a man's job to propose despite 2.5 million men claiming women put too much pressure on their other halves.

While 22% think it should be a mutual decision to get married and 11% of people think proposing is an outdated concept.

“Whilst our research shows that a substantial number of women are waiting until the 29th to propose, we think no one should have to wait four years to ask the person that they love to marry them.”

Woman proposing to a man

“Proposing is an exciting and nerve-wracking time, as it’s a huge milestone for many couples. Over the last seven years alone, we’re proud to have had a helping hand in 400,000 long lasting relationships, with over 110,000 marriages as a result.

"It’s great to see more and more couples doing it their way and using their proposal to really show off their values and beliefs as a two-some, ” Jemima Wade an eHarmony.co.uk expert said.