A 75-year-old Italian woman who could no longer support her two sons, aged 40 and 42, had no choice but to turn to the courts to evict them from the family nest.
“None of them wanted to know anything” about leading an independent life, the septuagenarian, whose identity was not disclosed, is said to have complained to judge Simona Caterbi on Thursday, the Italian newspaper La Provincia Pavese reported, according to The Guardian.
Last week, the judge in Pavia, a region south of Milan, agreed to impose an eviction order against the two forty-year-olds after their mother tried in vain to persuade them to live independently.
According to their mother, the two “bamboccioni” – a derisive Italian term that means “big babies” in French – did not contribute to household expenses or housework, even when both were working.
Therefore, the judge ruled in favor of the septuagenarian and only gave the two men until December 18th to pack their things and leave the house.
The judge specified in her decision that the presence of the two sons had previously been justified due to the “parental maintenance obligation” towards their children, but this was no longer applicable due to their advanced age, according to Italian media.
Although in Italy it is more common to stay with parents until the age of 35, this rate has increased in recent years, particularly due to the difficult economic situation and the time needed to find stable employment, said “The Guardian”.
According to a 2019 survey, 70% of 18- to 34-year-olds still live with their parents. Of these, 36.5% were students, 38.2% had a job and 23.7% were looking for one.