An Italian mother recently prevailed in court in her fight to force her two adult sons, aged 40 and 42, out of the family home in the northern city of Pavia.
The 75-year-old attempted to persuade the two, who were self-sufficient due to their jobs, but they stayed put and were overstaying in the house.
It turns out there are boundaries to a mother's love.
Mother vs. Adult Sons
The unidentified mother filed a complaint with the Tribunal of Pavia district court alleging that her two sons, whom she called "parasites," had been living in the house without making any monetary contributions or doing any housekeeping duties.
The two have until December 18 to vacate the premises, per a court ruling on Tuesday, October 24. CNN reports that Judge Simona Caterbi agreed with the men's divorced mother, whose pension was used only for food and household expenses after she and their father split.
"There is no provision in the legislation which attributes to the adult child the unconditional right to remain in the home exclusively owned by the parents, against their will and by virtue of the family bond alone," Caterbi stated.
According to a local newspaper, the men recruited attorneys to contest the maternal eviction on the grounds that, under Italian law, parents must provide for their children for as long as they are needed.
Caterbi referenced the preexisting legislation in her decision, agreeing that the stay in the property might first be appropriately regarded as ground on the basis that the parent had a maintenance responsibility. But she went on to say that it was no longer acceptable since both defendants were well into their 40s and that after a certain age was reached, the kid could no longer expect the parents to maintain the support requirement beyond boundaries that were no longer fair.
A lawyer for the men told local media that his clients were still considering whether or not to file an appeal.
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Typical Age of Independence
According to Euronews, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) conveys that the typical age of independence for Italian youth is 26. However, since young people make up a majority of the unemployed in Italy, it is not uncommon for them to continue living with their parents much into the ages of 26 and even 30.
In August, the unemployment rate in Italy was 7.8% on average and 22.3% among young people, according to the most recent statistics available.
In the past decades, there has been an increase in the number of young adults who choose to remain at home instead of moving out. In 1983, ISTAT reported that 49% of adults aged 18 to 34 still lived at home with their parents. This figure peaked at 60.2% in 2000 and has since leveled to roughly 58.6% in 2009. About 7 million Italians (67.6%) between the ages of 18 and 34 still lived at home with their parents in 2022.
