Women's Public RestroomsThe topic of women’s public restrooms is something few people – other than the women standing in line waiting for one – ever think about. There is a clear sexism in the design of public toilets that stems from design requirements that are far outdated, a public obsession with “equality” over “equity”, and an unwillingness to address the problem. Much of the design codes and parameters that govern how we build today were developed decades ago, often when society, the work force, and the economy looked wildly different. There are countless examples of women’s need to use the bathroom in a timely manner being addressed only in the last few years. The Senate floor did not have women’s restrooms until 1992, multiple Ivy League graduate programs did not have women’s facilities and used it as an excuse to bar women from entrance. Even the basement of Lowry at Clemson University, a previously all-male college, doesn’t have a women’s restroom unless you want to walk all the way down to the labs or go upstairs (where there are also men’s restrooms in both locations). Prevailing architecture decisions of buildings built decades ago when women’s restrooms weren’t required had led to complacency in updating facilities to be accessible to everyone. The other issue of women’s facilities is how they are designed in relation to men’s facilities. New construction often has facilities as “equal”, when the bathroom needs of men and women are far from equal |
Design Decision(s) |
Many buildings have multiple male restrooms and little/no female restrooms. This is a faulty design decision anticipating that there will be more males using the facility than females. Even as buildings are adapted to include female restrooms, they are typically harder to access as they were not considered during original design. Research shows that women take twice as long in the restroom on average, and that more space is required due to the need for stalls instead of urinals. However even today, it is rare that this is considered. Restrooms for both genders typically have the same dimensions, even though male restrooms can accommodate more people who require less time.
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Social Impact |
Due to inequality of this design, women are forced to spend more time in the restroom, leading to countless time wasted at sporting events, movie theaters, concerts, offices, classes, etc. This can ultimately result in a significant loss economically for women as opposed to men. One prominent example of this being the case is in the US Capitol, where until 2010, female lawmakers had to use a distant restroom for tourists since the restrooms directly adjacent to the house floor were male only. It can also lead to women being disinterested in certain events. What woman wants to spend significant amounts of money to go to a concert or sporting event if they have to miss large portions waiting to go to the bathroom?
The problems regarding the universal inadequacy of women’s public restrooms is upheld by past and present building codes as well as societal influence. This means that women must remain constantly aware of when and how they will use the restroom in public, often thinking about it before they even leave home – something men rarely have to worry about. Women can be chastised for taking longer on trips to restroom facilities when they must travel farther to get to a restroom or wait in a line. This is a just a brief overview of an issue that approximately 50% of the population must face. It is time to address this inequality so that women can spend less time waiting in line, and are afforded the same bathroom accessibility as men. |
Resources
https://time.com/3653871/womens-bathroom-lines-sexist-potty-parity/
https://read.dukeupress.edu/south-atlantic-quarterly/article/115/4/748/3799/Taking-a-Break- Toilets-Gender-and-Disgust
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-07/the-lack-of-equal-bathroom-access- for-women-is-a-global-design-flaw
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/women-men-bathroom-lines- wait/580993/
https://read.dukeupress.edu/south-atlantic-quarterly/article/115/4/748/3799/Taking-a-Break- Toilets-Gender-and-Disgust
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-07/the-lack-of-equal-bathroom-access- for-women-is-a-global-design-flaw
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/women-men-bathroom-lines- wait/580993/