Public Toilets and Menstruation

It can be expected that many of the technologies we are using today are a result from the men who designed them so many years ago. The toilet is no exception. Clara Greed looks at this from a macro, or urban planning lens, as well as a micro, or toilet design lens in the Article Taking Women’s Bodily Functions into Account in Urban and Policy Planning: Public Toilets and Menstruation. There are simply not enough public bathrooms for women and girls to be able to appropriately tend to the needs of their monthly period. In Africa, 50% of girls are not able to attend school due to menstruation because of a lack of private space and proper disposal areas. Menstruation has historically been seen as taboo, and continues to be this way. This has limited the amount of data collected on the needs for menstruating women in a public bathroom from educational facilities to downtown areas. Often times, women are expected to use the same public bathrooms their male counterparts would use without the consideration of their menstruation. A dirty bathroom may be okay for the typical user, but lack of proper sanitation may be harmful for women who are menstruating. The 1936 Public Health Act, gave local authority the ability to charge a fee for the use of public toilets that they saw fit, except in the case of urinals. At this time there were also regulations that allowed more public mens  bathrooms than women’s public bathrooms, even though the needs for women’s public bathrooms was greater than the need for men’s public bathrooms (Greed 2016).

A Poster from World Toilet Day explaining why toilets need to be period friendly.

The infographic attached is a a reference to explain why period friendly toilets matter. They are needed in homes, schools, workplaces, health centers, and any public space. The design and space requirements should include a private, locking door, accessibility at all times of day with proper lighting, culturally appropriate disposal options, access to menstrual products, provide hooks and shelves, water and soap to wash hands and bodies and reusable products, and of course having a clean toilet. A public bathroom design lacking some of these features can lead to stress and keeps women from going where they need to go. Designing safe and clean public toilets for women can boost confidence and allow women to carry on with any educational, work-related, or personal activities. The past of keeping women’s menstruation hush hush, and the lack of consideration for their needs in public bathroom design has contributed to the overall discrimination of women in many facets.

Bibliography

Greed, Clara. “Taking women’s bodily functions into account in urban planning and policy: public toilets and menstruation.” Town Planning Review, vol. 87, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2016, p. 505+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A466167283/AONE?u=euge94201&sid=AONE&xid=3ba1cd3a. Accessed 6 Feb. 2021.

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