A
stay-at-home dad (alternatively,
stay at home father,
house dad,
SAHD,
househusband, or
house-spouse) is a
father who is the main
caregiver of the children and is the
homemaker of the household. As families have evolved, the practice of being a stay-at-home dad has become more common, and socially more acceptable. 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.