battle of the sexes

Noun

battle of the sexes (plural battles of the sexes)

1. (almost always preceded by the) The persistent state of rivalry, opposition, or tension between men and women in society.
   • "You've heard of what they call the battle of the sexes, haven't you?"
     She thought she had.
     "Well, that's what it comes from chiefly—the crowds of polygamous men and the small number of polygamous women."1921, Basil King, chapter 7, in The Empty Sack
   • And when she returns to the battle of the sexes, she can state the situation in its starkest terms—"I hurt you/'cause you hurt me."1984 January 22, Jon Pareles, “Chrissie Hynde makes peace with the past and moves on”, in New York Times, retrieved 28 Aug 2014
2. Any competition between men and women.
   • As battles of the sexes go, the European Cup—a match play event between the PGA Senior Tour men and the LPGA European Tour women—might not have the same pulling power as Billie Jean King versus Bobby Riggs, but it has generated a fair amount of interest.1997 November 16, Catherine Riley, “Golf: Men pull clear by a distance”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 28 Aug 2014
3. A situation in which two people want to do different things, but do them together.