Man-Child vs Woman-Child [View all]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/woman-child_n_7191258.html?

Excerpts:
"According to Feig, the key with Annie (Kristen Wiig) in "Bridesmaids" was establishing that she was a successful bakery owner before her life swerved off track. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure his audience would be able to sympathize with a woman who has no "socially redeeming" qualities.

"Classically, male characters have been able to get away with that more in the past," he said. "There's this weird thing ingrained in our culture that it's no fun to watch a woman out of control. You know, versus with a guy out of control, where the idea is that's just what they do.""

...

"The true meaning of the character, however, comes out most clearly in juxtaposition with the man-child. The sympathetic conundrum Feig experienced with Annie is a non-issue for the male version of the archetype. In comparing the two characters, the sexist double standards endured by women are only cast in sharper relief through the lens of prolonged childhood."

...

"Things that are seen as funny with the man-child read as problematic in the hands of a woman. Substance abuse is a great example of the double standards at play. Extended adolescence almost always co-occurs with alcohol consumption. For a man-child, that means they burp and maybe pass out in silly position after five too many beers. For a woman-child, that means a toxic personality and potential alcoholism, evidenced by Jenny from Joe Swanberg’s lesser-known “Happy Christmas.”"

...

"“If you’re a female, then you should have your shit together and you should be figuring it out,” Anna Kendrick said, discussing the role. “With men it’s just like, 'Oh, you know, he’s just still a frat boy at heart, and it’s no big deal.’”

For a particularly robust example, recall one of the earliest portrayals of the man-child: Frank (Will Ferrell) in “Old School.” “He’s a man with a house, but he’s still allowed to be farcically childlike,” said Jennifer Clark, a communications professor at Fordham University. “That seems like a viable representation, whereas it’s very difficult to flip the script and imagine a married woman who lives in a house in the suburbs acting in this infantile way.”"



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I think, the different treatment of a man-child and a woman-child lies in gender-roles in family:
Men are supposed to be hunters, they are supposed to be wild and adventurous. A calm and stiff man is not a real man.
Women are supposed to be housekeepers, to be organizers and providers. A messy woman is not a real woman.