Over the years, as I have waited in long, long lines for the “Ladies” room, while watching men whisk in and out of their counterpart with no wait whatsoever, some woman in line has inevitably muttered, “Some day there will be enough ladies’ facilities,” to which several other women have just as inevitably replied, “Yeah, when we finally get a woman president.”
Who would have thought we would start to get a bigger share of toilet facilities before a woman finally made it to the top job?
Unnoticed by most of us, (although it should have been the cause of great celebration) New York City in 2005 passed a law requiring that all new or largely modified places of assembly, such as theaters, arenas, stadiums, etc., have two women’s toilet fixtures for every one designated for men.
Known as potty parity laws, they were designed to equalize the extra time required by women in rest rooms. Studies indicate that women take twice as long as men, due in part to their anatomy, as well as their often being accompanied by small children.
Architects and code officials, mostly male, despite being married or having girlfriends, were, in the past, blissfully unaware of the anatomical differences between men and women. Facilities in the House and Senate, long bastions of male power, were also hopelessly inadequate or nonexistent and had to be altered or added as more female representatives were elected.
Rules for public facilities vary by state. Connecticut’s law, which only affects new buildings and does not address the number of facilities for men versus women, was passed in 1977. However, many small shops are ignorant of state codes requiring access to their facilities. I was also unaware, (and I bet you are, too) until researching this column, that there is a National American Restroom Association, a tax-exempt, nonprofit which advocates for the availability of clean, safe, well-designed public restrooms. The group came into being in 2004, illustrating that Americans were “Johns come lately” to the cause as previously, in 2001, 17 nations had participated in a Toilet Summit in Beijing.
A more recent summit in Singapore declared that toilets should be beautiful, clean, hygienic, functional and accessible. As a matter of interest, Singapore, with 650 square kilometers of land, has 29,540 public toilets, while New York City, with 831 square kilometers, has just 1,178 public facilities.
The Singapore summit also declared Nov. 19, World Toilet Day, (has Hallmark heard about this?) and also fashioned a somewhat inappropriate motto, borrowed, I believe, from Churchill’s war slogan, “Never Give Up.”
I suppose this may refer to the fact that poor, unsanitary or inadequate facilities, while posing a serious health hazard, have been a taboo subject in most cultures.
For middle-age or pregnant women, parents with young children or those with congenital defects, going shopping, visiting or commuting to work can be an ordeal.
Potty parity is used, for the most part, only in places that experience high demand periods, resulting in long lines. Some cities have found unisex restrooms, each a complete, small bathroom with its own lock and availability indicator, a good answer as they offer inherent potty parity.
New York City, long envious of the excellent public facilities available in cities like Paris, has tried in vain to install similar toilets. There were fears they would be used as homeless hangouts, or that people would read or phone while on the porcelain throne, or they could not be made secure or handicapped accessible. As a result, America’s major city still suffers from the sad reputation of having no place to go when you gotta go.
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