Is It True That Girls Mature Before Boys?

This topic always arouses some controversy. Saying that girls mature before boys is evidence for many and a form of discrimination for others. However, many families and educators perceive in girls an early capacity to regulate their behavior, to show a greater emotional balance or a better capacity for reflection.

Beware, we are not talking here about intellectual potential. Child maturity is perceived in the way children process information and in their ability to repress impulses. The latter, according to science, apparently develops first in the female gender for a particular reason: the brain restructuring that takes place during childhood. Let’s delve into this.

Why do girls mature before boys?

To say that there are subtle differences in the neurological universe between men and women is not to fall into discrimination. This is scientific evidence. We clearly know that both genders follow the same neuromaturative processes that allowed them to achieve a brain that is agile, efficient and ready to interact with the environment.

However, the female brain initiates this neurological development earlier. Here lies the key and the mystery of why girls mature before boys. One of the most interesting and revealing research on the topic was carried out at the University of Newcastle, UK, in 2013. We will analyze this data below.

The change takes place between 10 and 19 years old

The objective of the research carried out by the University of Newcastle was to know the level of connectivity of the human brain between 4 and 40 years of age. To find out, Markus Kaiser and his team, in collaboration with the  National Institute of Health (NCBI) , performed MRI scans on a large population sample comprised of this age group.

The most significant aspect that could be observed was that, between the ages of 10 and 19, girls began to show greater brain organization. Greater neurological activity was also observed. However, this maturation process began between the ages of 15 and 21 in boys.

The reason girls mature before boys is in “neural pruning”

The child and adolescent brain needs an almost magical phenomenon to develop: neurological pruning. This process of optimizing brain connectivity consists of “pruning” (eliminating) the connections (synapses) that are not used regularly, leaving only those that are used frequently.

The latter are nurtured through myelination to strengthen them and thus achieve peak performance.

This process starts earlier in girls, starting between the ages of 10 and 12, and continuing through the age of 19 or older. In boys, neurological pruning begins around 15 years of age.

This mechanism of selective elimination of brain connections that takes place earlier in the female brain is called preferential detachment. This favors, for example, that girls show greater maturity in emotional aspects and also in impulse control. Obviously, there can always be exceptions.

Girls mature before boys, but their needs are the same

Some people caution against misinterpreting the fact that girls mature earlier than boys. Sometimes, there are those who make this idea an exercise in putting pressure on the girl. For example, there are families that may assign responsibilities to girls that are not assigned to male siblings.

Comments like “Don’t do it like that because you’re more mature than your brother” are not very pedagogical. This small advantage that, on average, is given to them is neither an achievement nor an excuse to give them more responsibility.

All children, equally and regardless of their gender, must be treated equally. Furthermore, it is appropriate to treat each child and teenager according to their personal needs.

Something that specialists in child brain development point to is the need to give personalized attention to boys and girls from an early age, in order to optimize plasticity and healthy neural pruning.

This maturation advantage of girls can be lost (and boys even further behind)

We know that girls mature before boys. We are also aware that nothing is as important to the brains of boys and girls as healthy neural pruning, which takes place between 10 and 21 years of age. Now neuroscientists are raising another warning.

Early exposure to screens and the hyperactivation it causes in their brains, lack of exercise, lack of social connection and poor nutrition all affect proper brain development.

21st century children, often subjected to new technologies and sedentary lifestyles, may begin to show a delay in maturation and necessary neural pruning.

Taking care of children’s brain plasticity, favoring curiosity, interaction with their peers and the practice of physical exercise outdoors is essential to invest in well-being, health and happiness.