Enigma

I'm starting on Micheal Crichton's Prey and something occurred to me. i'd like to hear your views on this:

Would a househusband/stay-at-home husband/full-time dad (whatever u wanna call it) lose his masculine appeal and as a result lose the respect of his wife/peers? or is being the bread-winner a traditional thingy that goes along with the title of 'husband' and that in this modern world it doesn't matter?

P.S: personally, i'm unsure of my opinion. on one hand, i feel that a husband should have a job at the very least. on the other hand, i feel that a man shouldn't be ashame of doing household chores. hhmm...