”Who has the time to discuss gender equality in that chaos?” : - Mothers perspectives about gender equality when having a child with special needs

Abstract: This thesis aimed to explore mothers experiences of having a child with special needs througha gender equality perspective. Four mothers were interviewed through a semi-structured interview guide. Feminist disability studies and emotional labor with an intersectional perspective have been the guiding framework. To analyse the empirical material I have used aqualitative thematic analysis. Research has shown that heterosexual couples with children in Sweden are becoming more equal in terms of the unpaid” invisible” household chores. However, parents who has children with disabilities and in need for more extensive care tend to take on more traditional roles. The findings have shown that mothers are more often the one who takes care of the necessary chores concerning the child’s disability. At the same time, she also needs to take a step back in her career or not able to have work outside the home. For some of the families, the necessary chores have been divided into administrative or practical tasks were one parent has done more than the other. To get a deeper knowledge about why it was that certain gender division I have found that the deep emotional connection to their child had an intersectional effect in the decision to stay home for these mothers.