Why do men have a reputation for being immature?

Well, I have heard some men say that their wives act childish ;)

In what way were they acting childish @khajuria?
Welcome to Fluther. :)

For the same reason that women have the reputation of being witches.

The majority revert to stereotype on occasion.

Hi Dutchess! Women tend to save our immaturity for when we are entertaining kids. Men have a tendency to be immature when it strikes them, and for some, that can be just about any time. They don’t grow out of it because, if they were serious all the time, stuff would get unbearable. Let’s face it, sometimes, that immaturity is a welcome relief. I’m so overrun right NOW with the many things in my life which need my time and attention. I sure wish there was a tall, barrel chested guy in the next room with my daughter telling her to pull his finger, and when she tells him that was disgusting, he takes her outside to rake the leaves together. Of course, I know that at some point he would become easy to subdue, and my daughter would manage to get a huge handful of leaves shoved down his shirt, which I will have to yell at them about because they know the washer won’t like those crackley bits. Sigh. Boys don’t ever grow up, because we need them to not.

Why do women have a reputation for being heartless bitches?

Stereotypes are stereotypes. Both directions.

Oh how I love stereotypes. According to mine, I should be slovenly chowing buffalo wings and beer with the boys while watching football right about now.

Shame I don’t watch sports, or like buffalo wings, or beer. Hell, I don’t even have any “boys” to hang with.

I do need a new swiffer mop though. Maybe I’ll go buy one of those. Is that immature?

They say what they feel. I don’t feel either way, so I don’t say. ;)

Well, my daughter-in-law and I were talking the other day. I forget how it came up, but I asked if my son ever starts rough housing with the kids right at bed time. She said yes, and it drives her nuts. His dad used to do the same thing, and I know my husband did too when his kids were young.
That’s just one example. But why in the hell do men do that? No matter how many times you tell them that you need to get the kids calm and cozy and sleepy and ready for bed, they STILL start rough housing with them at bed time and getting them all fired up.

Immaturity can be equally found in both men and women but in different ways.
I have heard most of my friends referring to their husbands as their second or third child every once in a while. I just consider it as a light hearted joke just the way most
husbands joke about their wives spending all their money shopping. This is just something to laugh about. In reality men can seem like they are immature, just like women can seem they love spending money shopping. But both these descriptions are not at all true or accurate when we judge the level of respect in a relationship.

Television:

“The male is depicted as either Homer Simpson or Jack The Ripper.”

As my enlightened generation and the ones to follow expand their influence this problem will end.

Titties…dey make me go all silly & stuff.

loll!

Never mind the witches and bitches, there seems to be a false premise in the OP that women don’t have a reputation for being immature, too.
I suspect that women think men are overwhelmingly immature because they’re more likely to get to know men in their closest relationships. Men, generally in close relationships with women, definitely see some of them being immature. I know I’ve seen my share.

You don’t hear men saying that their wives/SOs are immature because plenty of them are in classic, patriarchal, misogynist relationships where the women are ditzy and full of girl-logic. So there’s nothing to talk about when the gal spent her allowance on shoes this month, or oops blew up the microwave oven again, that’s par for the course.

In other circles the men expect their women to be their partners and both parties are mature individuals so you wouldn’t hear either of them say their SO is immature because they aren’t.

“Why have I never heard a man say that his wife acts like a child?” Women are better at revenge and emotional abuse.

Lots of reasons. For one, their role models are all immature, and out of touch with what real manliness is. Many of them (most?) have no clue what altruism is. Society won’t let a boy become a man in the natural manner. Instead he has to turn 18, and presto, he’s almost there. Duh.

Because girls are just dumb. :-P
We boys men know that we can be just as ‘ture as any silly ole girl, and we can jump higher, too! :-p
The darned dummy girls started the rumor because they know that boys men are bigger, faster and don’t care about all that girly stuff like bad hair and smelling pretty.

Nice blanket statement couched in an inane question, Dutchess. Got much baggage? Maybe people who think along these lines should re-evaluate whether or not they really want anything to do with men. I mean, what adult wants to put up with an immature asshole? And if the perception is that men are immature simply because they are men, it only makes sense that they would want to avoid them. And I suspect most men will be thankful for the lack of attention from people who believe that they are immature merely because of their sex.

Nanna, nanna, nah, NAH!

Because we have fun instead of wasting energy talking about other women at work we hate.

@DWW25921 Traditionally, women have raised the children. If we have kids, most of us are/were still in that role, so we recognize the signs. If a woman says a man is acting like a child, he very likely is. But men certainly don’t have the market cornered on stupid behavior. Many women don’t want to grow up either.

It’s not so much the reputation as it is the fact.

And @Blackberry is correct but made me LOL.

I think the man-child has become sort of a fantasy protagonist in our pop culture. There are different flavors of man-child characters, but the common thread is that they’re well-liked by everyone around them, and comfortably successful in spite of how immature and inept they are. The narrative is written from their point of view, so you can see that they’re trying and they mean well.

Homer Simpson is probably the ultimate example (and Peter Griffin, who is very similar.) Michael from the Office is a different type; he fails in his personal life, but no matter how bumbling and inept he is, he is still the boss. A lot of comedy protagonists are like this, like many Adam Sandler characters. Seth Rogen’s character in Knocked Up is a pretty good example. At the beginning, he’s a pot-smoking, unemployed slacker, but he gets the girl in the end. (Most characters like this get the girl.)

If society had an “ideal” man, a common thread is that this type of character falls short of that. They’re often lazy, sloppy, drunk/ high, or just a little dim-witted, but they mean well. The other common thread is that they have a lot of the hallmarks of success you’d expect the “ideal” man to have- nice house, comfortable lifestyle, loving friends/ family, hot girlfriend/ wife, etc- and the viewing audience can see that they’re really nice, well-meaning people.

* I kind of think that male characters who “don’t play by society’s rules” deserve an entry here. Like, Han Solo isn’t sloppy or dim-witted, but he does seem to be part of this spectrum of characters. *

Most of our media is made by men, so this narrative must be really appealing to men these days. Family Guy or the Simpsons are escapist fun because they say that you don’t really have to try, and things will work out.

I don’t think this narrative comes from TV and movies. TV and movies are an expression of underlying trends in our culture. Maybe the modern world is becoming too much for men, and they want to escape their responsibilities? The wives/ girlfriends of the characters in these examples are usually more capable and competent, and they sort of take care of the men, but they also seem sort of nagging. Maybe this negative, nagging side of the female characters is another fantasy element. They’re responsible, but it’s portrayed negatively, so in the end, it says to the viewer that you don’t have to be responsible.

This is probably also why romance novels are so popular with women- there’s the fantasy of being swept off your feet by someone who’s strong and capable. Romance novel heroines are often bland audience surrogates (like Bella in Twilight.) They don’t really do anything to get the guy (or do anything, period.)

I don’t really know where I’m going with this, so… end comment.

^ Amazing. GA.

@Snowberry: In your passive-aggressive, amazingly acrobatic justification of your chauvinism, you mention raising children. Madam, you are a bigot. You are as bigoted as the most poisonous white supremacist, the most rabid anti-Semite, the most vicious homophobe.

I would never allow you anywhere near children.

@Espiritus_Corvus Oh, how kind. That truly was a mouthful! God bless you sir! I hope you feel better tomorrow! LOL

Devolve

(opps, I thought this was my ‘what’s a cool word’ thread.)

The Bickersons!

(Dammit! Wasn’t this the favorite SNL sketch thread??)

I need my ‘readers’!

ibstubro LOL

Men are “immature”. Women are “misunderstood”.

Refute that!

LOL works for me.

@snowberry , I congratulate you dear! There is a difference between immature, and unrefined. Your question has successfully drawn responses from examples of both. Thanks LOL, for getting them to step forward and identify themselves. smirk, chortle.

@Espiritus_Corvus How can you say such mean and hurtful things to a person you really don’t know? That was cruel.

@Jonesn4burgers Thank you! (bowing) ROFL LOL

Being male is as difficult as it is rewarding:

Taking a break by being intellectually absurd provides acute relief.

My goal is refined immaturity.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ GOAL!? You’ve made it an art. : )

Spoiled by Mama. Then girlfriend took over role of Mama.

^^^ After we were newly married, before we became ex’s, we got our first washing machine. My future-ex told me his momma always went through his pockets to make sure no pens, etc. would end up in the wash.
I looked at him and said, “I’m not your momma.” That discussion never came up again.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NICE!

My clothes get washed by ME.

If you want something done right…

@mattbrowne GA. Been missing you. Talk soon, email or something, ok? Now go ask something intelligent; I won’t know the answer, but I love reading the threads.