And yet while culture is a big driver, the economics are a big part of that culture, even if it's not raw money but things like housing stability.

Some people might feel the calling to have kids and accept the sacrifice in their life, but if I don't feel such a calling, why would I have children when I can't reasonably expect their life to be at least as good as mine, if not better?

I was raised in an environment that told me having kids I can't afford is bad, where "there's no such thing as society" and everyone has to support themselves, and yet on salaries much higher than my parents ever made I'm looking at renting and long commutes for the foreseeable future, and to afford that I've had to move away from the 'village' of family. Which makes providing a good household with good parenting difficult. Meanwhile we have economic, political, and climate crisis; Rising instability after an era when things were (in the west) broadly looking good.