Many domestic children, from childhood to adulthood, listen to their parents often say: "You have to learn to be independent, foreign children, at the age of 18, move out to live on their own, earn their own money to support themselves." ”
So much so that the concept of "foreign young people who are independent early and have strong ability" is deeply ingrained in our hearts. However, is this really the case?
Speaking of which, the impact is quite big, because now the deeds of gnawing at the old and the age of gnawing the old abroad are really getting more and more outrageous.
In 2023, a 75-year-old mother in northern Italy sued her two sons for living at home, and after winning the lawsuit, she evicted her son from the house and no longer had the obligation to support her son. At first glance, when we heard that we had to have a maintenance obligation for our sons, we couldn't help but think that these two sons should be underage, but in fact, these two sons, one is 40 years old, and the other is 42 years old.
At this age, they are still supported by their parents at home, and they can't help but feel ashamed when they hear it, but in Italy, even if a middle-aged person in his thirties or forties lives with his parents, it is socially acceptable to spend his parents' money or even accept the care of his parents.
Even as early as 2007, when a 61-year-old gnawing elderly man lived in his mother's house to receive relief, the police mediation resulted in the mother's agreement to let her son continue to live at home, and he would also be responsible for his basic food and lodging.
Even in 2007, Italian politicians used the term "giant babies" to mock those who still received free food and lodging as adults living with their parents, but this did not affect those who stayed at home like rubber rubber.
According to the 2022 global data company Statista, nearly 70% of people aged 18-34 live with their parents in Italy, and the country's own statistics are even as high as 75%, and those parents not only have to pay for their living expenses, but also take care of them in daily life.
And this huge figure is even less appalling than the news below.
One is from the United States. A couple in Kansas concealed their father's death and lived with his body for six years so that they could continue to receive his retirement benefits.
According to USA Today's report, it is known that the old man named Carol died as early as 2016, but his daughter and son-in-law kept his body at home and insisted on receiving his retirement benefits until 2022.
The same thing happens in Japan. In 2020, when the Japanese Pension Bureau visited, it was found that the situation of the Suzuki family was strange, and finally through the police, it was found that the old owner of the family, Mr. Suzuki, had passed away as early as 2013.
But his son has been hiding his death and hiding his body in a locker at home for 7 years, during which he has been supporting himself by receiving Mr. Suzuki's pension, and has received a total of 12 million yen, equivalent to 790,000 yuan, in 7 years.
What's even more terrifying is that there is more than one such case in Japan. For the situation in the United States and Japan, it is no longer just "gnawing at the old" but "gnawing at the corpse", which cannot help but make people shudder. This shows that parents not only have to give everything for their children when they are alive, but they can't even live in peace when they die, which is really a very distorted situation.
According to a statistic released by USA Today in 2023, 65% of parents in US states will give money to their children aged 22-40, with an average of $718 per month. Since 2014, more people aged 18-34 still live with their parents than with their partners, and 52% of Americans aged 18-29 still live with their parents in July 2020.
As for Europe, it's not just Italy, according to 2021 data, out of 29 European countries, 24 countries where adults aged 18-34 still live at home for more than one-third.
South Korea's "kangaroo people" should not be underestimated. According to Statistics Korea, in June 2023, 613,000 adults aged 20-39 in South Korea were unemployed and not looking for jobs, accounting for 4.7% of the total number of people in this age group, and nearly 70% of these people live with their parents.
I don't know if I don't see it, and I'm shocked when I see it. The argument that "in foreign countries, young people who have reached the age of 18 live independently" is becoming more and more untenable. At the same time, there are older people who are working harder and harder. No way, although they are old, they still have to take care of children.
But we can't ignore a problem, that is, with a variety of reasons, the global aging rate is accelerating, that is, the old people are getting older, the people who are not old are getting older, but the people who are being born and growing up are getting fewer and fewer. So if these old and strong laborers are gone, and the gnawing old people become the oldest group of people, will the existence of the gnawing old people in this world become more and more widespread?
Then we have to discuss what caused the rampant gnawing of the old people.
First of all, there are objective economic factors, which are undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the increase in the number of gnawing old people. In the current global economic environment, economic growth is slowing in many countries, employment opportunities are insufficient, and development is uneven, especially in some areas with high consumption and high housing prices, and young people often find it difficult to bear the economic pressure of independent living.
Secondly, with the improvement of education level, more and more young people choose to pursue high education and career development, but because of the difficulty of searching, they slowly begin to rot, which also makes them face greater challenges in terms of economic independence.
At the same time, social structure and cultural changes have also had an impact on the phenomenon of gnawing the elderly. In some countries, family values and social welfare systems make young people more dependent on their parents.
In addition, the phenomenon of gnawing on the elderly itself will lead to the inability to effectively allocate social resources, and some young people may lack career planning and life skills, and are psychologically fragile, lacking the ability to face difficulties and solve problems, resulting in difficulties for them to live and work independently.
In addition, the way home education is conducted has also had an impact on the independence of young people. Some families may spoil their children too much, failing to develop their independent thinking and problem-solving skills, resulting in children still relying on their parents as adults, or even as mentioned above, feeling that parents should take care of them for the rest of their lives, which is a deep-rooted and natural sense of irresponsibility.
Conversely, some families may be too strict and limit their children's freedom and development, which can also lead to a lack of self-confidence and independence, incorrect perceptions of things, and a lack of courage.
Therefore, the phenomenon of gnawing at the elderly is composed of many factors, so what will become of it as the aging of the population intensifies?
According to the latest data, the proportion of the global elderly population has reached 11.5% in 2024, an increase of 5.5 percentage points from 2000. This means that the proportion of the elderly population in the total population is increasing year on year.
From the perspective of geographical distribution, there are differences in the degree of aging in different regions. Europe and North America both have more than 14% of the population aged 65 and over, indicating that these regions have the highest levels of population ageing. In contrast, the proportion of people aged 65 and over in Africa is relatively low, at 3%, but it is likely to grow faster than other regions in the future.
In such a situation, with the increase of the elderly population, the burden of social pension will also increase accordingly. This means that young people may need to take on more responsibility for their retirement, including providing financial support to their parents.
With employment pressures and the increasing cost of living, some young people may not be able to fully take on these responsibilities and choose to continue to rely on their parents, and may even become "nibbling old" of "gnawing old people".
From a societal perspective, an ageing population can lead to a reduction in social services and employment opportunities. As the elderly population increases, so does the demand for elderly care services, which may make it difficult for some young people to find stable jobs and sources of income, thus increasing the likelihood that they will be dependent on their parents.
In the face of such an increasingly severe aging trend, if the successor survives in this world with such a ability and mentality and a sense of responsibility, it is likely that the phenomenon of gnawing old age will be out of control. But this is not an inevitable consequence. This phenomenon can be effectively alleviated by formulating reasonable policies and measures to strengthen family education and social guidance.
Resources:
"Employment Difficulties, European Young People Go Home to "Gnaw the Old" - China Youth Daily
Research on the Social Causes of Urban Only Children "Gnawing the Elderly"—Hunan Normal University