Why Women Have to Wait Longer to Use Public Toilets

Researchers have found that men usually take only one minute to use the bathroom, while women take 1.5 minutes — that is 50% longer than men. This isn’t the only reason that adds up to the long lines we normally experience around women’s public bathrooms.

Now Bright Side knows 6 key reasons for why this happens. And we are going to tell you about them right now.

1. They stay in the bathroom longer.

And it is not something women enjoy every time they have to use the toilet. The problem does not lie in the fact that they chat with each other or that they are retouching their lipstick. They have to take more clothes off. And they have to do it in a stall where there is barely any space to move.

2. They menstruate.

Consequently, if they are enjoying a day out and about while on their period they may need to go to a public bathroom. Because of that, women need to spend more time in the toilet to change their pad or tampon. And sometimes it is not as easy as you may think. This is a hard task to do within that little space. Moreover, they try to do it as fast as possible so the next woman does not have to wait any longer.

3. They carry children or elderly people with them inside the bathroom to help them.

It is very common to be in a public place while spending the day with family. Also, we all know that at any time there will come a moment when you need to make a trip to the bathroom with the kids. It is not an easy task, especially if you have to try to help your family member in such a narrow space. Moreover, it is always the women who take the kids to the bathroom because the changing station is usually inside women’s bathroom.

4. They have less bathroom space.

That’s right, according to Judith Plaskow, the majority of public buildings were built with the same amount of bathrooms for women and men. Nonetheless, there are urinals in the men’s bathrooms. So in the same space, men get to have more toilets than women. The result is that men will take less time in the bathroom because they have more toilets to use.

5. To build more women’s bathrooms would be a hassle in more ways than one...

In countries like the United States, there have been movements — potty parity— to get equality when it comes to public bathrooms. They have overcome major gaps, but contractors are only applying these new ideas to new construction sites. Therefore, in places that have already been built, there’s really no way to go back and change things without a lot of effort and cost. Business owners do not want to spend money building new toilets for women because toilets don’t make money.

Bonus: The longer they have to wait, the more it can affect their health.

According to Dr. Vijayashree Saravanan the probability of getting a urinary tract infection — UTI — is high when it comes to public bathrooms. Because there are fewer toilets to use, it is more likely that women end up using a dirty toilet. It is also really important to not “hold it” for long periods of time since that can also be the cause of a UTI. They just have to be very careful in order to avoid this kind of issue.

What other places have you had to wait in line for a long time? What was the longest time you had to spend waiting?