The Battle of Sexes and Two Guys Strapped to a Childbirthing Pain Simulator

Remember those schoolyard challenges in which each kid is determined to prove her mom/dad is better than any other mom/dad? There is no way to win such a subjective debate, but the game is played nonetheless.

So it is with the Battle of the Sexes. Men and women volley shots, some good-natured, some with ill intent. Regardless of the skill in play, there is no way to win. Challenges that assert females-are-better-than-males or vice versa may pass time but will never produce a definitive winner.

But in the Battle of the Sexes, there is a Trump Card that women hold. It’s held tight but at-the-ready, waiting for the perfect moment to silence the opposition for the scuffle at hand.

It’s the card called Childbirth.

This strategic play is of the highest rank because it’s the dividing line between male and female. Only women have the ability to grow life in a womb, suffer through labor, and bring a new soul into the world. That holds a lot of power. Women can always pull that card and remind men that they will never understand what women go through because they cannot experience childbirth themselves.

Until now.

With today’s technology, labor pains can be simulated, giving men a sense of what women experience. Hosts of the Dutch show Guinea Pigs agreed to undergo the simulation for a recent episode. Check out the footage of their electrode-initiated pain (and turn on the CC for the English captions):

In terms of the pain, it looks like the simulation worked. These men were clearly struggling and writhing (which I actually had a hard time watching). But I am skeptical this is an exact match to the pain level women experience because a female’s entire body is engaged, not just the abdomen. Conversely, women do not have the option of opting out of labor once it starts (although I do not blame the host who bailed early); perhaps knowing the only way out is through gives women a mental edge to deal with the pain.

Simulations such as this one could easily serve to strengthen the power of the Trump Card. Women could point to the pain of these men, exchange knowing glances, and add a tick to the win column for females everywhere. High fives and celebratory cheers could be raised as female power is championed.

There is another response we could take, however. Women could take the “win” graciously. We could remember that the miracle of giving birth is not a Trump Card to be played in order to trounce our opponent. We could see that bringing life into this world is an honor bestowed upon us by our Creator. And we could remember that in the Battle of the Sexes, there is no winner, just a battle that robs both sides of the honor for which God created us.