Italians 'slow to leave the nest'

[emad]

BBC


An ever-increasing number of Italians are living with their parents until well into their 30s, a study says.

The proportion of Italians aged between 30 and 34 still living at home has doubled to well over a quarter, a recent government report concludes.

Sons linger even longer than daughters, the government says, with 36.5% of men aged 30 to 34 remaining at home, compared to just 18.1% of women.

The new figures are part of an annual report by research centre Eurispes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4227675.stm

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Well, this Italian-American left the nest at 19.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

2. my husband lived at home until we married he was 29..i did not

[bryant69]

3. I lived at home between 25 and 27. But then moved out again.

But i'm not italian either.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[demnan]

4. Here's the real reason:

"A high level of unemployment for graduates and soaring costs of living since the introduction of the euro are partly behind the trend, the report suggests."

[minerva50]

5. Mama's Boys

This has been going on a long time. Italian men don't want to leave Mama's cooking, Mama's cleaning, Mama's laundering. They know a wife would never cater to them half as well. Mama should kick them out and get a life.

[Sterling]

6. Bullshit.

Italians have a great sense of family. Much better than Americans. We seem to want to wash our hands of our kids at 18 out of selfish reasons. I live in NY and there are a lot of families here that have kids in their homes well into their mid twenties sometimes longer.

They are great families and it is a pleasure to visit them in their home setting. Some people want to be out on their own at an early age but I can understand why families stay together longer in other cultures.

I hope my kids will stay in my home as long as they can. I can't see myself wanting to kick them out. Quite the opposite actually.

[Pushed To The Left]

17. Thanks, Sterling!

I'm not Italian, but I am still living at home, and I am getting up there in age! In my case, it is a purely economic situation. I work full-time and am going to school to get an IT degree. However, I make very little money and can not afford rent out here. I do pay rent, but it is a small amount. I never dreamed I would be in this situation at this age, but a lack of success and lack of money can change one's plans.

What really bothers me is how much prejudice there is towards people like me who are in this situation. There are so many stereotypes that are ugly and untrue. Thank you for speaking out against that prejudice!:yourock:

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. I left home at 22 and never looked back

but my brother still lives three blocks away from mom's Sicilian kitchen.

[ellie]

7. I lived at home until I was 29

I come from a family of 8 children and was I the only one left living at home. It was great! It was like I was an only child! I didn't want to leave, and my parents, especially my dad, didn't want me to leave either.

[Sterling]

8. That is cool.

I moved out in my teens. I really miss my mom and dad. I could care less about free food and laundry. Now I live thousands of miles away and never see them.

[patcox2]

9. The "nuclear" family is what is unnatural.

The "nuclear" family is an aberration. The notion that the only way to live is in an isolated unit consisting of father, mother, and children is a very new norm. What is wrong with living collectively in a larger group? So much judgment going on here with people talking about maturity and independance (value laden words) in ways that demean and morally condemn any family that does not split up absolutely as soon as possible, the better to support the ever-groing capitalist economy by consuming more resources.

I am suprised so many "progressives" are so brainwashed that they buy into this worship of the "nuclear" family as the ideal.

[bleedingheart]

11. This is one liberal that wouldn't mind having others

living in the house...my mother knows the door is always open. I would rather have her with the family than in a retirement home...

[bleedingheart]

10. I loved living at home with my mom...

She would...

1. Make me a hot breakfast while I showered
2. Pack my lunch..
3. laundry
4. Make dinner...

I did this for her:

1. Lawn work....her garden never looked so good
2. Shoveled snow
3. I assisted with laundry and stuff...so it wasn't like I was a slug..

and most importantly we kept each other company...

I paid her rent and to be honest it was heaven..I even managed to pay off student loans and save.

I had lived on my own before moving back home with mom...paying rent, bills, car and student loans....and being alone all by myself...it was a useful experience and i could do it..but I liked the advantages of living with mom....


Now I am married with kids and to be honest...living with mom was great!!! but I do enjoy mothering my own now...

[LibDemAlways]

12. Many Americans are slow to leave the nest, too.

I know guys in their 50's who still live with mom and dad - in mom and dad's house. They never left.

[3rdParty]

13. The mother in 'Everyone Loves Raymond'...

is more fact than fiction in italian families.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

14. Since I'm Italian

I feel that I am qualified to respond. First, and foremost, as already mentioned, the sense of "family" in Italy is different from the one in the U.S. While here parents can't wait till their kids turn 18, in Italy very few parents expect their children to "go away" at 18. This is due to many factors. (1) colleges/universities and jobs are mostly within reasonable commuting distance, thus not necessitating moving out; (2) real estate is quite expensive; (3) many people feel very little need for moving out.

Both men and women stay with their parents for a while, until they are married. Because the age of first marriage in Italy is going upwards every time (in late 20s-early 30s), it is not uncommon to see 30-somethings living with their parents.

It has nothing to do with education (all the people I know are well-educated) or religion (all the people I know are non-religious) or economic background (most of the people are middle-class) or employment (all are employed in good-paying jobs) or traditions (all the people I know are from the very secular and liberal northern Italian areas).

Even in Italy, however, there are the extremes: men who live with their parents because they like to be catered to for everything. They are called "mammoni" (mama's boys) and they are made fun of. These specimens are definitely not typical.

I see that this particular habit has been stereotyped by the U.S. media as a symbol of sexism, tradition, etc. However, again, this is not a typical occurrence and even we Italians make fun of these "men" (more like babies).

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. This is true in Japan, too

It has always been traditional for people to live with their parents until marriage, but they used to get married a lot younger. Now they're delaying marriage but still living with Mom and Dad, despite earning enough money to live on their own. Instead, they're spending all their money on fun stuff.

They're called "parasaito shinguru" "parasite singles."

The government is worried about this trend for two reasons: 1) The birthrate in Japan (as in Italy) is below replacement level, 2) Since the thirtysomethings are not saving their money but spending it, what will they do when they're old and have no children to care for them?

[AgadorSparticus]

16. i fully believe in the system of extended families.

and i have no problems with anyone living at home and being responsible (helping out financially and with chores)--as long as it is a healthy relationship. our financial times almost dictates this progression.

however, the big problem that i see is that it spoils some men. some mothers use this "mothering" as a control mechanism and are too emotionally dependent on their kids and together, they create this codependent relationship.

it makes it difficult for the men to get married and establish their own lives later on in life. i don't know if this happens moreso with sons than with daughters, but i sure get that impresssion.

[Cuban_Liberal]

19. It's very common in non-Anglo cultures.

It's also very common among Cubans, e.g. . I'm an exception in my own family.