Pre-industrialisation, the family worked together as a unit and was self-sufficient. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, large-scale production replaced home manufacturing; this shift, coupled with prevailing norms governing sex or gender roles, dictated that the father become the breadwinner and the mother the caregiver. When affection-based marriages emerged in the 1830s, parents began devoting more attention to children and family relationships became more open. Beginning during World War II, many women entered the workforce out of necessity; women resumed the caregiver position after the war, but their new-found sense of independence changed the traditional family structure together with cultural shifts leading to the feminist movement and advances in birth control. Some women opted to return to the care giver role. Others chose to pursue careers. When women chose to work outside of the home, alternative childcare became a necessity. If childcare options were too costly, unavailable, or undesirable, the stay-at-home dad became a viable option. The number of stay-at-home dads began gradually increasing in the late 20th century, especially in developed Western nations. The recent statistic that Pew Research released, showed a report in June 2014 that found 2 million men to be stay-at-home dads. However, in 2010, the number of stay-at-home dads had reached its highest point of 2.2 million. Though the role is subject to many stereotypes, and men may have difficulties accessing parenting benefits, communities, and services targeted at mothers, it became more socially acceptable by the 2000s. The stay-at-home dad was more regularly portrayed in the media by the 2000s, especially in the United States. However, due to traditional family structures and stereotypic expectations, the stay at home father figure is culturally unacceptable in countries in South Asia such as India.

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