..."what difference does it make?"
Hust wait until Joe Chink or some other enemy charges one of the women in hand to hand combat with a rifle and attached bayonet to run through her guts and she will learn the hard way that there is a difference.
The Viet Gong at one time thought that there was no difference , but after a number of times their women fighters coming out second best in hand to hand combat with Americans, they stopped their women fighters from engaging in hand to hand combat with americans. Except in dire emergencies.