Which brings us to the root cause of the problem and the issue politicians dare not discuss — our reluctance to have enough children to stabilise the population naturally. In the rich countries of the world people have never had it so good, and they have never had so few babies This is the paradox behind population decline. As we in the West become more comfortable, the basic human urge to reproduce, which has survived famine, pestilence and war, is faltering in the face of peace and prosperity. ~Richard Ehrman, The Spectator (registration required)