By Janell Ross | The Washington Post
Almost a decade ago, American news outlets were darn near obsessed with what was described as a distinctly Italian phenomenon.
Here were a third of the country’s men, deep into their 30s and even older in some cases, with no plans at all to leave their parents’ home. Jobs were scarce and good-paying ones even rarer. At home, their parents cooked, cleaned and attended to their emotional needs. And family life is so deeply valued in Italy that none of the above was cause for great shame.
So, these mama’s boy-like men, these “mammoni,” either could not or would not marry or even move out on their own. The Italian government tried to intervene, offering tax breaks to renters as an incentive for the not-so-young to get out of Mom and Dad’s house.
