Taking the P*ss

Long queues, substandard public loos, and the “urinary leash” – toilets are a feminist issue

Today is World Toilet Day (hurrah!) – so garland yourself in panic-bought toilet paper, settle yourself on your porcelain throne, and let us tell you a story of loos and ladies...

Here in the UK, public toilets have been a bone of contention between the sexes from the very beginning. The first public toilets, introduced in the mid-1800s, were for men only. Victorian women were expected to stay in the domestic sphere – what need could they have for loos in public places, scoffed (male) engineers and town planners? Consequently, women had to plan their travel according to where they could relieve themselves – referred to by historians as the “urinary leash.” It wasn’t until women were needed to take on traditionally male jobs during WWI that ladies loos became a fixture in workplaces and public spaces.

Today, British women may have broken that particular chain, but inequalities still exist. Women spend longer in the loo, and the need for cubicles rather than urinals means we get fewer toilets per square metre. In fact, women need 2–3 times the toilet provision men do – and yet current laws only require equal floor space for each gender. That’s why women spend the interval at events queueing to pee, while men spend it having a drink at the bar or enjoying tiny overpriced tubs of ice cream.

Queueing for the loos is annoying, but globally the situation is much more serious. Millions of women lack access to toilets at all, forcing them to make use of fields or streets, and leaving them vulnerable to disease and sexual assault. Even when public toilets are provided in poor communities, they often fail to meet women’s needs.

Things are changing – albeit at more of a trickle than a gush. In India, the government plan to build 100 million toilets and are investing in public education on the issue, including subsidising a popular movie with a pro-toilet message (yes, really). Women in Northern India now frequently demand a private toilet in the marital home before they agree to tie the knot as part of the “No Toilet, No Bride” campaign, and women’s public toilets are springing up in unlikely places. We were particularly tickled by these Barbie-pink pee palaces. 

The bottom line is that, whether in Nottingham or Nairobi, public toilets need to be female-friendly. And that means getting women involved in the planning and design of facilities.

If you’d like to help bring privacy and dignity to women’s lives, you can donate to WaterAid, or why not “twin” your toilet (a great Christmas gift for those difficult-to-buy-for people!). MF