In Livy's "History of Rome" he recalls the events surrounding the abduction of the Sabine women in Rome, and says that the reason this was done was so that they could be married to Roman men, in a time where there was "absence of women". He goes so far to say that the great Roman Empire could fall after the current generation because of the lack of procreation going on.
Why??
The kidnapping of the Sabine women and the lack of procreation at his time are two vastly different events.
In the beginning Rome was settled by mostly men, perhaps outlaws seeking refuge in a new town, perhaps farmers simply in searching for better land or merchants seeking a location both on the Tiber and near the coast as well. Either way not many women were involved in the foundation of Rome. Keep in mind that during this period accounts are considered legendary (Anything before the Gaulish sack in the 4th century BC is to be taken with a grain of salt), we don't actually know what happened to the Sabine women, if they were kidnapped, raped or if their fathers were coerced into giving them away in marriage. This was in the 8th century BC.|
Fast forward 750 years to the time of Augustus and Livy. There was no shortage of women in this era, but there was a perceived moral decay where high ranking women were having less children, and having affairs with actors, gladiators and other noblemen. Augustus addresses with his morality laws (lex Julia de adulteriis) which condemn adultery and encourage people to have more children.
So perhaps Livy is trying to draw a parallel between the two eras, and though the symptoms may be similar, the underlying causes are very different.