Main Changes Experienced by Husbands Involved in the Caring for their Wives with Multiple Sclerosis in Finland, Austria and Spain

This paper examines husbands’ experiences with wives in the long-term care of the Multiple Sclerosis disease in Finland, Austria and Spain. Avoiding generalizations, this study focuses on the main changes after the diagnosis in all levels – personal, economic and professional – because to understand and reach equality in the care work it is necessary to open debate about men’s practices in this area. In this research, three couples in each country in the regions of Lapland (Finland), Vorarlberg (Austria) and Alicante (Spain) were interviewed. To analyze the findings, a gender perspective is used with a particular attention to the influence of the contextual factors in each case. Comparing Finland with Austria and Spain, big differences emerged related to the economic changes. Changes in the social and sexual life were common in most cases.