<< The only reason why women even dare to strike a man is b/c they know that men have been told all their lives NOT to hit women. But in the same respect, women have been demanding equal rights for years.
So while I personally wouldn't hit a woman, I don't think that women should have any "legal" cover to hide from if they decide to go toe to toe with a man. I mean come on, we have women in the military and even women fighter pilots. >>
How many women do you know that would start a physical altercation with a guy and expect not to get hit back? I don't think there are any. The "but they want equal rights" is bs. If you hit your girlfriend and cause her physical harm, you go to jail for domestic abuse, not for "hitting a girl". If you get into a brawl at the bar and hit a girl and cause physical harm, you go to jail for assault, not for "hitting a girl". If the girl at the bar started it and you were truly defending yourself, then you don't go to jail. You are obligated to try to get away peacefully first though, but the same applies to fights with men.
In the domestic situation, it does go both ways, if a woman beats the crap out of her partner, she's going to jail for domestic abuse.
Anyway, I personally would not hit a girl in any sort of domestic situation unless it is in good fun. For example, my ex was a country/farm girl, and thus pretty strong. We would hit eachother playfully, and that was cool...she could hold her own. But we never actually hurt eachother.
If I gave her a black eye or bruises, that would be wrong. If you love someone, it shouldn't be hard to keep from causing intentional harm to them.