Hoping to reverse a trend of young adults living with their parents until they are approaching middle age, Italy will begin offering payments to see more of them fly the coop earlier, the Daily Telegraph reported Sunday.
According to the report, Italian Finance Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa said the program is intended to spur more young men to move out on their own at an earlier age.
Click here to read about "Big Mummy's Boys" on the Daily Telegraph Web site.
Eight out of 10 Italians under age 30 still live at home with their folks, with the average move-out age 36. Some experts said the trend is costing Italy in growth and innovation.
"Let's get these big babies out of the house," Padoa-Schioppa, who left home at 19, told the Telegraph. "If young people stay with their parents, they do not get married or have any independence."
Some economists cited the rising cost of living and lack of work as a major factor in why young men aren't able to strike out on their own earlier, according to the report. Recent research seems to indicate that clingy parents may also play a role.
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