‘We’re Just Careful’: How Surveys Have Measured Use of the Withdrawal Method in France Since the 1970s

Based on the study of the withdrawal method for contraception, this article analyses the methodological challenges that face researchers investigating ‘invisible’, stigmatized, and difficult-to-measure practices. The article starts by reviewing research aimed at determining the prevalence of withdrawal use in France before the 1960s and examines the reasons behind the progressive stigmatization of this practice by the Church and the medical establishment due to its status as a sexual practice. By comparing nine quantitative surveys conducted in France since the 1970s and drawing on the international literature on the topic, this article suggests methodological considerations for best capturing this form of contraception, one that, often, respondents do not even consider a method of contraception or do not report using. It looks at the most effective ways of asking questions about this practice (framing, vocabulary used, double-check questions, etc.) and highlights the importance of considering temporality to ensure that withdrawal is better situated within the ‘mosaic’ of more effective methods that may conceal its use in favour of a single ‘principal method’.