Should Italians Get a "Leave Home" Allowance?

When I first moved to Italy over 15 years ago, I noticed that Italians had a hard time leaving the nest. Moreover, they couldn't believe that I was 20 years old and not only had I moved out of my parent's house, I moved across the ocean and all the way to Italy.

Curious about this phenomenon, I asked them questions about their lives and drew the assumptions that Italians spend much more time obtaining a university degree because the higher education system is much more rigorous in Italy. This assumption lasted until  I met several foreign university students who one by one confirmed that the university in Italy is no harder than it is anywhere else. One thing that is different however is that Universities in Italy are for the most part free. One can understand the lack of motivation to sit a tough exam when there are absolutely no consequences for skipping it. In Italy, they can just postpone it until the next semester or for years even. I suppose this is true in a country like America too, although with university costs reaching as much as 35,000 dollars a year, repetition is a  luxury few Americans can afford.

Once the university studies are finally complete, One would think that Italians would move onward and upward. This is true for very few of them. Most university grads remain home for years to come, well into their 30's and even 40's. Why? They claim that there are no jobs for university grads today. I accepted this to be true until it occurred to me that I myself never had any problems finding a job. Granted, I had to take some poorly paid jobs that were not exactly what I had always hoped for, but still they were jobs and they paid my rent. Same went for all the immigrants around Italy working hard to make ends meet. If everyone else seemed to find a job without too much effort, why couldn't these bright young Italians? Well, many told me point blank that they would rather not work than settle for a poorly paid job that is not professionally stimulating. In Italy there is a huge emphasis on the fact that someone has a professional degree. Many demand to be called "dottore" and addressed with the utmost respect. There is little glory in a "dottore" washing dishes at the local pizzeria.

Light bulb: When faced with living at home where daddy pays the bills, mama cooks, is the queen of clean, and even irons, the real world is suddenly not so appealing. Italian parents make it much too comfortable at home, it's no wonder they don't leave! One woman told me over coffee this past summer that until just recently she had still been cutting her 13 year old daughter's steak for her...mamma mia!

One Italian Minister is causing a stir in Italy by suggesting that Italians should be forced to move out of their homes at 18 years of age. The latest report even proposes cutting pensions to some parents in favor of offering a 500 Euro per month per person stimulus package to fund housing and incentives for young people to move out on their own.

Could this be the end of the road for Italy's "mammoni" (mamma's boys and girls)? I'll believe it when I see it!