“Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes, as there is too much fraternising with the enemy.” — Henry Kissinger

One might say that Henry Kissinger’s pellucid opinion is probably true, and that in reality the ‘battle’ element between the sexes is hyped up to bring ratings, sell albums, and entertain audiences rather than having any real substance. But what are its origins?

This epic battle has raged since humans have walked the Earth and for as long as a difference has existed between man and woman. For those who believe the “creation” theory of the world, rather than the evolution, it could be said that when God decided to create the universe, He — uhmmm She — knew it was necessary to create different sexes for the future propagation of the species. However, apart from the physical differences, it seems he didn’t bank on the inherent psychological differences which immediately put the species at odds.

Over the ages, certain physical attributes have exaggerated this notion that women are the weaker sex; however, in the war years, those men who were still trying to claim that a woman’s place was in the kitchen had to concede that maybe women could do more than just bake cakes and make babies. The war, to a certain degree, empowered women, as they fully participated and proved themselves able to not only defend their countries, but held entire nations together. From then on women started to chip away at the glass ceiling upon which they had been hitting their heads. Women became engineers, doctors, architects, and even astronauts.

In sport, the tennis player Bobby Riggs opined that the female game was inferior, and even at 55 he could beat any of the top female players. When Riggs threw down the gauntlet in 1973, taunting female tennis players to take him on on the court, it seemed that his first-round win in two sets over Margaret Court, who at the time was the best female player in the world and 30 years his junior, would validate his theory. However, the tenacious and talented Billie-Jean King destroyed him in a three-set thriller in front of an audience of 30,000+ in the Houston Astrodome and 90 million worldwide.

The sport of polo was for many years very much the domain of men, to the point that the first female member of the United States Polo Association (USPA) Sue Sally Hale played as a man for 12 years, as the USPA would not grant her membership until 1972, despite the fact that she played better polo than some of her male counterparts. Even though women players are very much an important part of the polo landscape these days, to the point that there is even now a women’s handicap, there is still a gross imbalance at the higher levels of the sport.

Over time, this ‘conflict’ has evolved into board games, movies, game shows, a best-selling album by the rapper Ludacris and, of course, in this day and age, even an app.

Of course, mention must be made of the modern-day theatre which is the political version of the epic 1973 tennis showdown, Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton — the ultimate battle of the sexes. Man vs woman in its rawest form, gloves off, down and dirty. It has definitely provided entertainment, certainly made for compelling viewing, and this is one battle between the sexes, unlike others, where physical brute force and strength play absolutely no role in the final outcome.

karen@poloandmore.com