The whole Knighthood situation dates back to the Middle Ages, Serfdom and Fiefdom and all that jazz, Defenders of the Realm would be honored by the King. Obviously, women didn't dress up in armour and tilt at enemies. Nowadays, the title is bestowed upon men who have done a great service to the Empire e.g. Paul McCartney, Alex Ferguson, Elton John.
Along with the lack of any serious Dragons or barbarian hordes to ward off, the present also brings with it women's lib. In order that women who have also done service to the Empire be recognized e.g. Judy Dench and Margaret Thatcher, they are Damed. There is a ceremony, but I don't believe they get the sword on the shoulders treatment like the men. That's more of a tradition now than anything else, anyway.
I've heard some people say that it is also tied into the amount of land you own, but that doesn't seem quite right. I mean England is not that big, there isn't enough land to go around all those who have been Knighted or Damed. Perhaps in days of old that was a determinig factor, but I'm not sure.
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This message was edited by blakjeezis on 8-13-02 @ 6:43 PM