Education, from elementary school to university
In Italy, school is compulsory until the age of 16. The division of classes is as follows: kindergarten(asilo), from 3 to 6 years old, and elementary school(scuola elementare), which lasts five years. Then begins the scuola media, the equivalent of middle school, which lasts three years. The first year is prima media, then comes seconda media and terza media. Then the high school(scuola superiore) lasts five years(prima superiore, seconda superiore...). Students can choose between a classical education (where Latin and Greek are particularly studied), scientific, linguistic, artistic or technical. The Italian schooling system is one year longer than the French one. The high school exam is the maturità, the equivalent of the baccalaureate, which students usually take when they are 19 years old. The success rate is very good and exceeds 98%. In this regard, we would like to emphasize the existence of the Esabac diploma, which allows French and Italian high school students to obtain a diploma recognized in both countries. Whether in junior high or high school, it is customary for classes (but also teachers) to change little from year to year. Students are therefore in daily contact with each other for three or even five consecutive years. It is therefore not uncommon for Italians to maintain strong ties with their former classmates as adults.
The university system is divided into two cycles: three years of higher education to obtain a laurea triennale and two more years for a specialistica . Many students opt for the five-year cycle, which leads directly to the specialistica, the equivalent of the French master's degree. Some particularly popular university courses have an entrance test for enrollment. In addition to public universities, there are also several private universities in Italy, such as the Bocconi in Milan and the Luiss in Rome. At the end of this study cycle, the exams are open to the public: most of the time, the student's family and friends come to listen to and support him/her on this great day. Graduation often leads to a big celebration during which the student wears a laurel wreath which, in Greco-Roman mythology, symbolized knowledge!
Working life, unemployment and retirement
After studying comes the start of working life. Italy has not been spared by the crisis: at the end of 2022, the total unemployment rate was 7.8% (10.6% among 25-34 year olds). But there are great disparities in the country, and unemployment is hitting the South even harder. Young people, whether they have a degree or not, are the first to suffer from this situation. The difficulty of accessing a first job is amplified by the precariousness of the situation: lower wages (there is no minimum wage in Italy), short contracts, etc. This is why many young people move abroad (" la fuga dei cervelli", the brain drain) and others are forced to stay with their parents. Indeed, in Italy family ties are essential and the image of the Italian close to his mother is not always a cliché! A term has been coined to describe this phenomenon: mammoni is the term used to describe those who do not succeed in cutting the umbilical cord. In general, Italians leave the family cocoon rather late, and it is very common for young people over 30 to still live with their parents. However, it would be wrong to think that this is always a choice for comfort: as we have seen, precariousness affects young people in particular, and it is difficult in this context to become emancipated.
As far as retirement is concerned, the subject is also being debated in Italy. The country is preparing to reform its system. The retirement age, excluding special schemes and special cases, is currently set at 67 with a minimum of 20 years of contributions. At the time of updating this guide, this retirement can be anticipated if social security contributions have been paid for 42 years and 10 months for men and 41 years and 10 months for women.
Weddings and civil unions
As is the case throughout Europe, young people in Italy are getting married less and less, and later and later, and civil marriage is tending to supplant religious marriage. Note: in Italy, married women do not change their family name and, since June 2022, a law automatically assigns both family names (the father's and the mother's) to newborns. The parents can also choose together to assign only one of them. Italy has a rather classical tradition of naming children. There is no great fashion for first names as in France and it is common, especially in the south of the country, for the first child of the couple to be named after the grandfather or grandmother. The most common names given in 2022 are Leonardo and Alessandro for boys and Sofia and Aurora for girls.
In addition to marriage, a heterosexual couple can also formalize their relationship through the convivenza di fatto, a contract that unites a stable couple who live under the same roof. This provision is also valid for homosexual couples, but they still do not have access to marriage in Italy.
It is worth noting the important work of associations in this field (of which the main and most famous is Arcigay), which fight for the rights of homosexuals and against homophobia, while contributing to changing mentalities. The major Italian cities host gay prides every year, and LGBT living and outing places (bars, clubs...) are increasingly numerous. Since 2016, homosexual couples can formalize their union through theunione civile, which stabilizes reciprocal rights and duties between the two partners. This contract is only available to two same-sex spouses and does not offer them the possibility of adopting a child. So there is still a long way to go.
