Men grow up at 43 - study

Men finally grow up at the age of 43 - a full 11 years after women "mature", a new survey says.

A study into the differences in maturity between the genders revealed that both men and women agree that men remain "immature" well into their late 30s and early 40s. But the average age at which women mature emerged as 32.

Eight out of 10 women believe men "never stop being childish" - with breaking wind, burping, eating fast food in the early hours and playing video games their biggest bugbears.

Staying silent during arguments, not being able to cook simple meals and retelling the same old jokes and stories when with the lads were seen as signs of immaturity.

The survey was commissioned by Nickelodeon UK to mark the launch of the new show Wendell & Vinnieon British television.

Men were nearly twice as likely to describe themselves as immature than women were, with one in four men believing they are actively immature. Women were also twice as likely as men to feel they were the "grown up" one in their current relationship.

One quarter of women felt they made all the important decisions in the relationship with the same percentage wishing their partners would talk about themselves and what they were feeling more often.

Women also found British men's biggest maturity failings were still finding breaking wind funny, driving too fast and playing video games. Three in 10 women ended a relationship after they lost patience with the guy being too immature.

A whopping 46% of women have had a relationship in which they felt they had to mother their partner a bit too much.

Immaturity does have its upside though, with four in 10 people thinking immaturity is important in a relationship because it ensures the partnership stays fun and keeps things fresh. One in three people think a bit of immaturity helps in bonding well with children.

The new, comedy series Wendell & Vinnie follows Vinnie Bassett, 30, a carefree bachelor who suddenly becomes the legal guardian of his wise-beyond-his-years nephew Wendell. They soon find that Wendell, 12, may be the parent Vinnie needs.