Public restrooms also tell a political story
In most public places, men's restrooms have urinals and stalls, while women's restrooms only have stalls.
Beyond the fact that gendering public spaces in this way is frankly disturbing, and we think of our trans siblings for whom it can frankly be a nightmare or transphobic, these gendered and organized restrooms lead to a daily problem: the queues are always longer on the women's side. Or almost.
And it's not just an impression! According to sociologist and associate professor at Sciences Po, Julien Damon, who evokes "the right to pee", women spend 2.3 times more time in the restroom than men.
And other research is even more alarming, showing that women can wait up to 6 times longer than men to access public restrooms. A gap that can even be spectacular, with a wait 34 times longer in very busy places such as concerts, stadiums, or festivals.
The famous endless queue in front of women's restrooms is therefore not a cliché. It is the result of inadequate sanitary infrastructure.
But then WHY does this inequality exist?
Several factors explain it. First, the architecture of our public restrooms. A urinal takes up much less space than a stall. In the same area, 20 to 30% more "urinal spaces" can be installed on the men's side.
Then, the usage time. Women spend more time in the restroom because in the stall, they manage their clothes, sometimes menstruation, they clean the seat, and most of the time they accompany children…
In conclusion, providing fewer sanitary facilities for women worsens waiting times and widens inequalities.
A problem that is frankly little cared for in France… and elsewhere. With the exception of a few public places or countries, like Japan for example, which has recently addressed the problem by offering, among other things, restrooms with removable partitions in public spaces to increase the number of women's restrooms depending on the events organized in the place. Or by developing an application that provides real-time waiting times in public restrooms.
Peeing standing up is not a revolution
Let's be clear, peeing standing up will not overthrow patriarchy. It takes more (unfortunately). But it doesn't change the fact that peeing standing up is still a shift in gender norms. And a potential time saver.
Because peeing standing up, using your Toki for example ;), says: my body can also function differently than what I was taught.
And above all, it gives you back the CHOICE.
A practical choice
No one will tell you otherwise (and certainly not us), peeing standing up is useful in many situations. At festivals, hiking, in nature, in dirty public restrooms, at a dubious highway rest stop, at concerts, in bars…
Obviously, no one is saying that everyone should start peeing standing up from today (Can you imagine?!). That would be replacing one norm with a new one, and we're not for that. No, the idea with Toki is just to say "IT'S POSSIBLE".
And there are other solutions! For more equality in access to sanitary facilities, Belgian researchers, for example, have shown that by increasing the number of women's restrooms by 1.5 to 2 times, the waiting time becomes almost similar.
Implementing mixed-gender restrooms, with urinals, would also be a solution. Everyone could then use them with a stand-to-pee device. This would be the ultimate solution for equality in waiting time. Or we could also have everyone go through the stall. However, this proposal would have the drawback of increasing waiting times for everyone.
Because deep down, the real problem is not there
The problem is not peeing standing up or sitting down. No, the real problem is not having a choice. And don't these norms deserve to be shaken up from time to time? Or scratched with a Toki for example.
Just to remember that even the most mundane gestures can be political.
Sources:
- Huh & Farajollahzadeh - studies on “potty parity” and equitable access to restrooms
- Wouter Rogiest and Kurt Van Hautegem - Ghent University (UGent) – EOS Wetenschap