Stay-at-home dad

[2] Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, mass production replaced the manufacturing of home goods; this shift dictated that the man become the breadwinner and the mother the caregiver of their children.

[3] In the late 20th century, the number of stay-at-home dads began gradually increasing especially in developed Western nations.

[4] A 2014 report released by the Pew Research Center found two million men to be stay-at-home dads in the United States.

[7] The Industrial Revolution led to extensive mechanization, resulting in a shift from home manufacturing to large-scale factory production.

[3] The modern family is commonly thought to have originated in the 1830s: courtship became more open, marriages were often based on affection, and parents devoted more attention to children.

[2] At the beginning of the 20th century, married couples began to emphasize the importance of sexual attraction and compatibility in their relationships.

[2] The transition of the family was influenced by the Great Depression, which forced many women into the workplace in order to compensate for lack of financial stability.

Because of the draft, workers were scarce in many industries and employers began to fill jobs with women, mainly in nontraditional positions.

Not only had many women found a new sense of independence, but cultural shifts were underway, including the rise of feminism and the development of reliable methods of birth control.

Stay-at-home dads have been seen in increasing numbers in Western culture, especially in Canada, the UK, and the United States since the late 20th century.

In cases where the woman is the higher-paid parent, it makes more economic sense for her to continue to work while the man takes on the caregiver role.

[12] Some men who choose this role may do so because they enjoy being an active part of their children's lives, while in other families, the mother wants to pursue her career.

[13] Some retired males who marry a younger woman decide to become stay-at-home dads while their wives work because they want a "second chance" to watch a child grow up in a second or third marriage.

[16] There is a common misconception that stay-at-home dads cannot get a job and therefore must rewrite the typical family roles, forcing the wife into the workforce.

[19] A study conducted by a United States child psychiatrist, Kyle D. Pruett, found that infants between 7 and 30 months responded more favourably to being picked up by their fathers.

[13] Pruett also found that a father's parenting style is beneficial for a child's physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural development.

[12] Furthermore, a 1996 study by McGill University found that the "single most important childhood factor in developing empathy is paternal involvement in childcare".

[22] The study further concluded that fathers who spent time alone bonding with their children more than twice per week brought up the most compassionate adults.

[24] His study concluded that in a family with a stay-at-home dad arrangement, the maternal and paternal influences are equally strong.

This arrangement prevents the mother from having to deal with the stress of finding acceptable childcare, checking backgrounds, and paying for care.

A survey conducted by Minnesota's Department for Families and Children's Services shows that men consider childcare to be far more important than a paycheck.

[28] The Australian Bureau of Statistics show that approximately 7 percent of two-parent families with children under the age of 14 have a father who is unemployed and a mother who works full-time.

[29] Recent sociological studies have shown that men are dedicating more time and support to their children in comparison to the 19th century.

[32] A bill was passed in by the Canadian government in October 1990 which granted paid leave for fathers for the purpose of primary caregiving.

[33] Stay-at-home dads are not prevalent in East Asian countries, which generally have strict traditional gender roles.

[34] The Japanese government passed a law in April 1992 allowing time off following the birth of a child for both male and female employees.

[38] In the early 1990s, an estimated 600,000–900,000 people perished in the famine, which was largely a product of the North Korean government's unwillingness to reform the economy, and the old system began to fall apart.

[41] These statistics only account for married stay-at-home dads; there are other children being cared for by single fathers or gay couples.

[41] Also, it is difficult to ascertain how many of these stay-at-home dads have accepted the role voluntarily, and how many have been forced into it by the economic crisis of the late 2000s and early 2010s, during which a great number of mostly-male blue-collar industries suffered significant losses and many previously employed men entered periods of prolonged unemployment.