First home mortgages under 30: incentive for marriage or social discrimination?
The proposal to reserve subsidized mortgages for their first home for young people under 30 who “have a life plan aimed at marriage” has raised quite a bit of controversy. A choice which, at least in intention, aims to relaunch marriages and birth rates, but which risks penalizing a significant portion of young people who cannot or do not want to get married.
The amendment proposed by Forza Italia to the Maneuver redefines the criteria for access to the Guarantee Fund for mortgages on first homes. Young couples remain beneficiaries but must be under 30 and have a wedding plan. Currently, the guarantee covers 50% of the principal amount of the mortgage and is reserved for all those under 36to young couples who have been living together for at least two years, to single-parent families and to families with minor children.
In an Italy where young people struggle to achieve economic independence, linking such an important benefit as that for mortgages to the marital bond appears problematic to say the least. Marriage today is no longer considered an obligatory step, but a personal choice often subordinated to practical and economic considerations. Those who choose cohabitation or simply cannot afford it therefore risk being cut off. On the other hand, it’s no secret that getting married, despite bureaucracy and costs, is not for everyone.
Limiting the right to access mortgages to those who align themselves with a traditional family model is a measure that smacks of discrimination: some are rewarded, others are excluded, without taking into account that even unmarried couples can have solid and long-lasting life plans. But in addition to cutting out cohabiting couples, it also “discards” those who do not fit into the “typical” couple model. Young singles, people in informal relationships or those who simply don’t believe in marriage.
Furthermore, what is not at all obvious: Getting married is expensive. From the expenses for the ceremony to the bureaucratic ones, marriage is a financial commitment that many young people cannot afford. Expecting them to also take on this expense to obtain a subsidized mortgage risks transforming the incentive into a real barrier. In short, Forza Italia’s proposal appears short-sighted and potentially counterproductive and could, paradoxically, obtain the opposite effect to the desired one. Rather than encouraging marriages, it would generate a sense of exclusion among young people, reinforcing the gap between those who fit into traditional models and those who remain outside. In an Italy where it is already difficult to find stable work and access to credit, There is no need to impose models, but to create opportunities for everyone.
