 Fixed gender roles began to become less prominent in the Western world starting in the late 20th century , allowing men to make their own choice of career without regard to traditional gender @-@ based roles . 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 . For example , of the 187 participants at Fortune Magazine 's Most Powerful Women in the Business Summit , one third of the women 's husbands were stay @-@ at @-@ home dads . Families vary widely in terms of how household <unk> are divided . 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 . Additionally , more career and lifestyle options are accepted and prevalent in Western society . There are also fewer restrictions on what constitutes a family . 
