US Vice President Mike Pence will not dine alone with any woman except his wife Karen

US Vice President Mike Pence reportedly doesn't dine alone with any woman except his wife Karen Pence.

Painting a picture of the close relationship between the Second Lady and the Vice President, a Washington Post report said that Karen continues to be one of the main influences in his life. She acts as his 'gut check' and 'shield', the report said.

According to the Post report, in an interview to The Hill in 2002, Pence said that he never attends events featuring alcohol without his wife by his side and does not dine alone with any other woman.

"If there's alcohol being served and people are being loose, I want to have the best-looking brunette in the room standing next to me.

"It's about building a zone around your marriage ... I don't think it's a predatory town, but I think you can inadvertently send the wrong message by being in [certain] situations," Pence said to a reporter at The Hill at the time.

However, when asked if the vice-president still follows this rule, Pence's press secretary Marc Lotter told the BBC "I think you are taking this entirely out of context. He set a standard to ensure a strong marriage when he first came to DC as a congressman, clearly that worked."

The report detailed many aspects of their relationship starting from their matching email addresses to their side-by-side treadmills, but this piece of information about his eating and dining habits stirred up a debate on social media platforms with many saying that the personal rule directly impacts the job opportunities available to women who hope to work under the vice-president.

It was also said that he would work, mentor and promote men over women as a result.