More men are staying at home to take care of their families, according to a 2018 Pew Research report. Historically, economic downturns have forced men out of the labor force and into stay-at-home roles. "Perhaps as many as two million men were stay-at-home dads, depending on how you measure it, during the height of the Great Recession," says Sociology Professor Scott Melzer. "And if we look today at the pandemic, we have another economic calamity."

However, changes in women's workforce participation and women's advancement in education have also left lasting impacts on gender roles. In 2020, women made up more than half of the U.S. workforce for the first time. "Young women are actually outpacing young men now in terms of college degrees and many graduate degrees," says Kim Parker, Director of Social Trends Research at Pew Research Center.

Five dads tell CNBC Make It why they felt called to take on one of the world's most challenging jobs.

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Why More Men Are Becoming Stay-at-Home Dads