Parasite Single

Parasite single (Japanese パラサイトシングル, parasaito shinguru) is a single person who lives with their parents beyond their late twenties in order to enjoy a carefree and comfortable life.

The phenomenon is not confined to Japanese society; analogous or similar phenomena can also be found in other cultures. For example, in Italy, some young adults (especially singles) still rely on their parents. They were joked about by the former Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, who called them bamboccioni (literally, big babies). Padoa-Schioppa's "boasting" was considered extremely offensive by some people, and newspapers pointed out that he knew little about the situation of a considerable part of the 20–30 years old Italian population, who do not earn enough money to afford leaving their parents’ house. In Germany they are known as Nesthocker (German for an altricial bird), who are still living at Hotel Mama ("Hotel Mama" is an ironic term for the parental home, since the household chores and the cooking of the meals is done by the mother alone). In English internet parlance, the expression "basement dweller" is sometimes used, referring to someone who lives in his or her parents' basement.

A different concept of parasite single is found in Brazil, where some individuals are said to rely on Paitrocínio (a pun with the words Pai or Pais, meaning father and parents respectively, and Patrocínio, meaning sponsorship). This word is used not for the ones living in their parents home, but actually for the ones who did leave home, albeit still relying solely, or majorly, on parents financial support. The reasons for leaving home before achieving financial independence vary, but mostly it is due to college or to start a career with small or uncertain initial incomes, such as in arts and sports.