There has been a growing phenomenon around the developed world. The birth rate has been falling quite steeply and, in some countries, the average is only marginally above one child per woman. This is not enough to maintain the population in balance. Over time, societies will age and there will not be enough young to pay the taxes to fund healthcare. This change is a direct result of a major cultural shift. Our lifestyles now delay parenthood or postpone it altogether. Ignoring the long-term social risks, there is a more immediate problem. Such medical evidence as there is suggests the problem of erectile dysfunction is growing more common. The reason for this is the redefinition of what it means to be a biological man and woman. Go back fifty years and you find yourself in a time warp that has lasted thousands of years. Men go out to work and the women stay home and have babies. Originally, this was men go out to hunt leaving women to clean the cave. But the spirit of the gender roles has remained consistent over the centuries. But all that changed as the 1950's turned into the 1960's. A revolution was coming.

Today, we all understand the force of the words, "feminism", "gender equality" and "sexual discrimination". The men running government fifty years ago had no idea what was coming. Now, the cultural dominance enjoyed by men over the centuries is under threat from more confident women. They no longer see their roles as baby factories and homemakers. They demand equality and make career choices that delay child-bearing until later in life. This adds to the stress of modern living. Now consider two other factors. Men are becoming increasingly overweight. This has a direct effect on sexual performance as high cholesterol blocks the arteries and unfitness reduces the stamina for sexual activity. Further, sexual performance slowly weakens over time. If men are expected to wait longer before producing children, the pressure on performance increases and anxiety can induce erectile dysfunction.

It is going to take time for men to adjust to this new cultural landscape in which women are more assertive in all aspects of life. When it was always up to the man to make the running, everything could go at his pace and match his comfort levels. A woman demanding more immediate sexual satisfaction is disconcerting to the older man. The new generation of men who grow up in this new reality will be better attuned to its demands. This leaves viagra as the standard support for aging men. When performance comes under pressure and the fear of inadequacy saps confidence, this drug preserves self-esteem and enables a hard erection in reply to sexual stimulation. It is fortunate this drug came on the market when it did. Feminism was strongest during the 1970's and early 1980's and then there was a slight plateau. Viagra has appeared just as the drive for greater equality has resumed with new force. So long as women persist in their drive to delay conception, the birth rate will continue to fall and society will grow older. But men will be better able to rise to the occasion when women do finally decide the time is right to conceive. Thanks to the little blue pill, humanity will continue.