At what age does the "living in mom's basement" comment starts to apply?

Question

I have noticed this phrase is only applied to men on here, so I guess the question is, at what age is a man expected to have moved out of his parents' house?

And what if a man doesn't want to have a career, and wants to be a house husband so he's staying with mom at home to learn cooking and cleaning until he gets married? Don't women do that?

Answer 1

Personally I see nothing wrong with living with ones parents at any age no matter what your gender. People fall on financial circumstances, or sometimes it's to benefit a sick parent. I think that's fine, especially if he's single.

I think the stereotype comes from the type of guy who never broke from dependency in the first place. The type who is incapable of really relating to any woman besides his mother. He didn't come home; he never left to travel the world, attend college, live with a roommate/ girlfriend, etc. At the age of say, 25, he's still playing WOW in his mom's basement and resenting the nagging that she does because she's disappointed in her anti-social son. So like all tough guys he comes here to take his mommy issues out on the women of Yahoo! Answers.

Answer 2

Mom's Basement

Answer 3

When I was a 'young' person everyone, male and female, was expected to move out of their parents' home by age 18 and have a job and a home of their own. If they were working at 16, they were expected to move as soon as they felt they could support themselves, but no older than 18.

Nowadays it is very common for young people to live at home until they buy their own home, and the expectation they'll live in dingy share houses with grungy people their own age is gone.

It's understandable and sensible (probably influenced by the increasing European population), but those grungy teen years sure were fun, lol.

As for the basement thing, in Australia there were derogatory comments about single (adult) men living with their mothers. Nowadays I recognise those comments as a homophobic sort of 'code' ~ those guys were considered to be 'effeminate' because only women stayed at home and cared for their parents (under the control of their parents) and didn't get jobs, etc. Very nasty undercurrent stuff, homophobic and sexist.

But I don't think the 'basement' comment has the same connotations, does it? That's more about someone being inept? I don't think there is an Australian equivalent.

Cheers :-)

Answer 4

My friends will give adult men or women grief about living at home with the rents.

I don't have any friends who currenly live with their parents, but back in my twenties, I had a few.

By the way, I'm not talking about moving "back in" with parents...we all know sometimes disaster happens. I'm referring to people who never leave.

Answer 5

I'd say about 23 or 24. But it can be applied to women as well, since we're now equally equipped to live on our own. Even if someone intends to be a stay-at-home spouse, they can and should live independently at some point in their lives.

Answer 6

Oh, I think that probably twenty-ish is the expiration date for legitimately living with the folks. Unless, of course, there are extenuating circumstances like attending school full-time or providing care for an incapacitated parent.
And I don't see this as a gender-specific thing at all.

Answer 7

It's not a phrase that's real nice and I wouldn't use it.
Have seen it referred to one of the past regulars here, the one who was a "happy" guy.
Yeah, he was offensive, but in private he was actually quite nice and polite, I wouldn't assume for a minute he was stuck living in a basement.
Don't think there really is a set age for moving out of home.

Answer 8

Kinda sick to see how kids are growing up now. I remember playing til way after the street lights came on, chatting for 1 hour a day on my rotary phone, if I needed my mom or dad, I had to put a quarter in this machine that I had to dial and hope mom or dad was home ... I getcha.

Answer 9

I'll give them to the age of 25, long enough to get a job and save some money for an independent life. Although it's possible to be living elsewhere but still be too emotionally connected to "mommy" after that (my BFF's son, for example). Women who do that are usually waiting for Prince Charming to come along and carry them to his castle, where they will live happily ever after.

The exceptions are those who are thrust into a caretaking role at a young age.

Edit: I'm assuming almost everyone goes to college. There's no way you can earn enough at 18 to support yourself with only a HS diploma.

Answer 10

Many women stay at home as well. My aunt was over 30 and she was at home. All I can say is that it all depends on the situation. My boyfriend moved back home but he helps his mother. He pays all her bills, she makes 6.00 a hour part time at Sears (Sears?? WTF?), she never has any money. But he helps her. I respect him for helping his mother. He works everyday, hard too, sometimes 6 days a week like 10-12 hour shifts. I think he's sacrificing his own happiness for his mother. I've talked to his mother she confides all of this to me not him. When I met him he was on his own with a roomate. He does mot mooch on his mother she mooches off of him! So you need the whole situation, really.