Girls physically mature faster than boys on a physical level as well due to the quicker process of puberty. Girls undergo puberty earlier than boys by about 1-2 years, and generally finish the stages of puberty quicker than males due to their differences in biology.
Scientists at Newcastle University in the U.K. have discovered that girls tend to optimize brain connections earlier than boys. The researchers conclude that this may explain why females generally mature faster in certain cognitive and emotional areas than males during childhood and adolescence.
Although there is a wide range of normal ages, girls typically begin puberty around ages 10–11 and end puberty around 15–17; boys begin around ages 11–12 and end around 16–17. Girls attain reproductive maturity about four years after the first physical changes of puberty appear.
There is a common myth among parents that boys tend to develop slower than girls. But is it true? Generally speaking, the answer is no. While girls and boys might develop certain skills on different timelines, the differences likely are not because of gender alone.
Sex differences in the brain are reflected in the somewhat different developmental timetables of girls and boys. By most measures of sensory and cognitive development, girls are slightly more advanced: vision, hearing, memory, smell, and touch are all more acute in female than male infants.
Women reach full emotional maturity around age 32, while men finish maturing around age 43.
It's an accepted fact that girls develop faster than boys physically and emotionally. To understand why this is, we need to travel back through thousands of years of human history.
Further, by examining boys and girls together, we found that while pubertal timing effects on health were pervasive among both sexes during adolescence, the effects for girls were more persistent (see Table 2), with a larger impact on young adult health outcomes for women compared to men.
In most cases, delayed puberty is simply a matter of growth changes beginning later than usual, sometimes called late bloomer. Once puberty begins, it progresses normally. This is called constitutional delayed puberty, and it runs in families. This is the most common cause of late maturity.
Newcastle University scientists have discovered that as the brain re-organizes connections throughout our life, the process begins earlier in girls which may explain why they mature faster during the teenage years. As we grow older, our brains undergo a major reorganization reducing the connections in the brain.
Yes, a younger man falling for an older woman is more common than many think. There are many reasons why younger men fall for older women, but most commonly, he admires her maturity and experience associated with being an older person.
Females typically mature earlier than males, where females start the adolescent period around 10–11 years, and males at around 11.5 years old (Malina and Bouchard, 1992).
A 2020 large-scale mate preference study across 45 countries showed that men prefer younger and attractive women while women prefer older and financially stable men (1).
A 2013 study published in Cerebral Cortex offers a scientific explanation behind the common notion that men take longer to "act their age" than women do. According to the study, it's rooted in the fact that the female brain establishes connections and "prunes" itself faster than the male brain.
The study commissioned by Nickelodeon UK found men don't reach maturity until 43, while women typically mature around age 32.
The first signs of puberty in boys usually appear around the age of 12 years, and most reach their adult height by the age of 16, but this can vary. Every individual grows at different rates, and puberty begins and ends at different times for everybody.
At the same time, the typical age of immature males transitioning to maturity is years later than women, research suggesting that the age at which men reach peak maturity can range from 25-55.
Adolescence is an important time for brain development.
The brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s. The part of the brain behind the forehead, called the prefrontal cortex, is one of the last parts to mature.
Research indicates that the slower development of baby boys' brains is likely due to the male hormone testosterone2.
Girls generally begin puberty about two years earlier than boys. Puberty for girls usually starts between the ages of 8 and 13. However, Black and Hispanic girls tend to start puberty earlier than white girls (age 7½ instead of 8).
Between ages 8 and 13, girls typically experience the following: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areola (the pigmented area around the nipple) starts to enlarge. They develop a small amount of genital hair.
It Doesn't Hurt . . .
And a growth spurt is just that: Your body is growing, and it's happening really fast! When you enter puberty, it might seem like your sleeves are always getting shorter and your pants always look like you're ready for a flood — that's because you're experiencing a major growth spurt.
Girls tend to have a major growth spurt between the ages of 10 and 14. Most will have reached their adult height by the time they are 14 or 15 years old. This major growth spurt happens during the phase of physical and psychosocial development known as puberty.
The typical girl is slightly shorter than the typical boy at all ages until adolescence. She becomes taller shortly after age 11 because her adolescent spurt takes place two years earlier than the boy's.
Women tend to score higher than men on measures of emotional intelligence, but gender stereotypes of men and women can affect how they express emotions. The sex difference is small to moderate, somewhat inconsistent, and is often influenced by the person's motivations or social environment.