While I don't agree with some of the things Marx said, he had this right: The rich and powerful pit the working class against each other in order to maintain control.
If we stay at each others' throats, we'll be too busy squabbling over petty stuff to notice that we're being taken advantage of.

It's probably not all intentionally malicious, though. The media uses "the battle of the sexes" to get viewers, and in turn, money from advertisers. They think it's just simple greed, but they don't realize the effect this gender division has over time.

In the romantic comedies, the characters always follow the same worn formula. Man chases woman, woman runs away, man does grand gesture, woman realizes she has feelings for him, they get married. These movies tell the audience that there should be clearly defined roles in romantic relationships. You were born this way, so you have to do this. Women should act this way, men should act that way. Because of this, people can develop unrealistic expectations about their partner.

By maintaining these cliche images of gender, the business owners and advertisers make a ton of cash. For example, there are all the weight-loss products and beauty aids that women buy. The women's magazines all say, "You're fat! You're ugly! You can fix that by buying the products we advertise!" The same goes for men and the supposedly masculine products we buy........buying a big 4X4, for example, will give you a large penis. If you chew Skoal, the women will be falling all over you. And if you drink Coors, a group of Swedish models will play volleyball in your backyard.