He said, she said: How third-party presence shapes infertility reporting in couples

Ester Lazzari, Nadja Milewski and Jasmin Passet-Wittig
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Ester Lazzari: Universität Wien
Nadja Milewski: Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB)
Jasmin Passet-Wittig: Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB)

Demographic Research, 2026, vol. 54, issue 6, 159-176

Abstract: Background: Estimating infertility prevalence at the population level is challenging and little is known about the factors that influence how individuals report it. Objective: We assess whether third-party presence, such as that of a partner, influences the likelihood of reporting infertility among a sample of heterosexual couples. We also examine the consistency of responses between partners interviewed separately and evaluate whether third-party presence increases agreement or disagreement within couples. Methods: Using data from the 2019 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, we apply descriptive statistics and logistic regression models to assess associations between third-party presence and (1) infertility reporting and (2) consistency of infertility reports between partners. Results: Overall, 10.1% of men and 16.1% of women reported infertility. When a third party actively influenced the interview, reported infertility increased to 16.7% among men and 21.4% among women. After adjustment for confounders, men interviewed in the presence of an influencing third party had more than twice the odds of reporting infertility, while women had 65% higher odds. Agreement on infertility between partners increased from 7.5% to 14.5% in men’s interviews and from 7.1% to 13.7% in women’s interviews when a third party was present. Adjusted models show that joint infertility reporting was more than twice as likely in the presence of an influencing third party. Contribution: Interview context influences both the likelihood and framing of infertility reporting. The findings suggest that third-party presence matters for the measurement of sensitive and subjective outcomes that are jointly experienced within couples.

Keywords: infertility; third-party presence; bystander effect; couples; sensitive questions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dem:demres:v:54:y:2026:i:6

DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2026.54.6

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