Yes, it is. In Hinduism it is a commonly known concept that everyone who is born on earth remains indebted to at least three things. These are known as the three types of rinas (debts). They are:
- deva rina (debt owed to gods for providing us light, water, air, etc.)
- rishi rina (debt owed to sages for providing their knowledge)
- pitru rina (debt owed to forefathers for continuing the lineage).
There are other such debts like bhuta rin, but those three are primary. In Hinduism it is necessary for one to repay these debts so that he/she can be free. Without paying off these three debts one cannot attain liberation and will only fall down:
When he has paid the three debts, let him apply his mind to (the attainment of) final liberation; he who seeks it without having paid (his debts) sinks downwards. [Manu Smrt - 6.35]
It is a privilege unlike any other to be born as a human and to be brought up by parents. So we all have a debt towards our parents and forefathers who continued our lineage. This debt is known as pitru rina and it can be repaid by procreating off springs and continuing the lineage. So without having children one cannot get rid of the pitru rina. So generally in Hinduism one is required to have children. The scripture also says the importance of a putra (son) as he saves the father from a hell named put [Manu - 9.138].
Having said that it is worth mentioning that this law doesn't apply for someone who is a pure devotee of the Lord. One who abandoning all material desires and attachment only performs devotion of Lord Shri Krishna gets free from all these kind of debts:
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam [SB - 11.5.41]
Meaning
O King, one who has given up all material duties and has taken full shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, who offers shelter to all, is not indebted to the demigods, great sages, ordinary living beings, relatives, friends, mankind or even one’s forefathers who have passed away. Since all such classes of living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, one who has surrendered to the Lord’s service has no need to serve such persons separately.
I can understand your views since I also marched towards a direction of unmarried life pondering over the futility of the worldly life. Having seen so much imperfection here not a single day goes by when I don't want to change things the way they are and make them better. But I would only say that, trying to not have children just because things are tough is not a proper and reasonable step. If conditions are too tough then you can take spiritual aid. Please take time and think over it wisely as decisions like these are very important in life and once the time goes away not any amount of later repentance can fill the hole in life.
Update
I have nothing against what other answers and comments are saying, but have everything against the statement forget scripture, follow your heart
. It is one thing to be not able to follow the laws and rules set in the scriptures due to the age of kali and it is another to forget and discard them completely to follow whatever the heart says. Following the heart is good, but following the heart forgetting or undermining the scriptures is not good. But who am I to say what's good and what's not? It is the job of the scriptures to say that. So the Gita says:
He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination. [BG - 16.23]
One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.[BG - 16.24]
It is good to follow the heart, but one should also consider the scriptures in doing so and determining his duty accordingly. The sages know better, hence even the God incarnates follow the words of the sages. So we should not forget or disregard the scriptures and law books of Hinduism like Manu Smruti which contain the words of the sages.