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Subscribe to RSSBEIJING -- Chairman Mao famously said “women hold up half the sky,” but in today’s China they are standing twice as long in restroom lines.
It’s a universal problem: women waiting anxiously inside and outside public bathrooms while men can “finish the business” much more quickly. Women spend much more time in bathrooms than men, but they don’t necessarily enjoy the proportional number of facilities. The problem is particularly severe in China with a population of 1.3 billion, especially in big cities whose growth outstrips the amount of toilets.
But some young women in the southern city of Guangzhou just couldn’t bear it anymore. They decided to cry out loud last Sunday in a campaign to “occupy male bathrooms” near a popular public park.
Li Maizi, the 23-year-old campaign organizer who insisted on using a pseudonym, told a local newspaper that the purpose was to raise the awareness of the public and the government.
“It seems like women and men are equal with the same amount of public bathrooms built for them. But the physical differences make them spend a different amount of time in the toilet – so it’s just not fair,” said Li.
Li, along with a few other young women, asked male passers-by who wanted to use the guy’s bathroom “do you mind waiting for a few minutes because the line in front of female toilet is too long?” They held signs reading “love women, starting with convenience” and “the more convenience, the more sexual equality.” Convenience in Chinese also means “to use a toilet.”
The women also handed out pink public letters to their male peers, calling for legislative steps to increase the number of public bathrooms for women to at least twice that of the opposite sex. They also demanded more unisex bathrooms in areas like railway stations and shopping malls.
The campaign was soon echoed by the public, and Sina Weibo, China’s most popular Twitter-like service, invited Li for a live chat on Thursday afternoon. Over 300 questions and comments were made, many from men who showed support. “I’m a man but I support you. All men have moms, wives, daughters and sisters. To occupy boys’ bathrooms is not the only goal. It should trigger the response from the government and the society,” said a Weibo user by the name of “Walking Camel.”
When asked where the idea of “occupying” originated, Li said she borrowed it from “Occupy Wall Street.”
“It echoes the campaign over there, although we are not connected at all," she said.
Following the live chat, Weibo launched an online survey, “Are you happy to use a unisex public bathroom?” But out of 13,000 respondents within one day, only 35 percent of the males and 14 percent of the females said “yes.”
In a phone interview with NBC News, Li said the government has responded to her efforts. The Guangzhou City Administration Committee said it plans to bring the issue up in the legislative process to build 1.5 times more female bathrooms than male.
Li wasn’t too happy with this result. “It’s just not enough. They should build at least twice the female restrooms than male ones,” she told NBC News, “and we have support from many, many people.”
Li plans to continue her campaign in other big cities like Beijing and Shenzhen.
Leave a Comment:
Remove the mirrors from women's restrooms. Problem solved, you're welcome. :)
That would also help.
Rob: True! Had to laugh at that!
haha
It is true! I'm a female and can attest to not only being held up from washing my hands at the sinks because of shallow women primping in the mirrors. Yes, I'm ugly and don't care about putting on make-up.
Then you have women in the stalls taking the time to put down 8 layers of toilet paper on the seat, instead of using the handy dandy seat covers that are in a dispenser right over the commode. Then once they're done, they have to take about 5 minutes to adjust their pantyhose after they pull them up and make sure that none of the tp that they put on the seat got into their pantyhose.
There's also the issue of women with kids, so you have four freakin' people in one stall. By the way, women, don't bring your 12 year old sons into the restroom with you - that's just weird!
Oh, and the baby changing station in the handicapped stall!!! The baby doesn't need a toilet, so put the baby changing station in some other area of the restroom.
And while we're at it, how can you have a cell phone conversation while you're sitting on the can (in public) taking a dump???? I mean REALLY!
Okay, I feel better now that I got that out.
i love you crying shame - have my babies
That would be a start wouldn't it? Or replace them with fun house mirrors or what ever they are called.
Crying shame,
Your rational post shows you are a beautiful and considerate person, there are no ugly souls, only a variety of vehicles we are stuck with for a short period of time. You score well, your next vehicle will be much more attractive than the present....
Well, I happen to be in China. Beijing to be exact. The problem is that there just aren't any toilets at all. Its getting better, slowly but surely, but just four years ago people stilled urinated out in the public streets. Didn't even bother to find a bush. Kids were crapping in the shopping malls and everyone thought it was great. So, my suggestion is to build the toilets first, then complain about the quantity.
Oh, and in the places that DO have toilets, its never enough. They will build a two stall unisex bathroom for a place with over 100 people and that seems to be the general ratio, though I don't know how they actually figure out the needs. I can say however that anywhere you go that has a toilet, it is in CONSTANT use, no matter which sex you are.
Also, about putting the toilet paper down, its not as much of an issue out here. Most of the public toilets out here are glorified holes in the ground that you have to squat over anyways. I have to say, at first my sensibilities were offended, but I've found (aside from lack of cleanliness of the stall) that overall it is more hygienic in that (ahem) it makes for cleaner wiping and you never actually contact anything with your body (except your feet which are hopefully covered with shoes).
Now if they could just learn to include toilet paper and soap in these public toilets, I'd be happy. (FYI: in case your planning a trip out here buy tissue paper and carry it around with you just in case and be prepared to use the toilet when you get the chance...like at the airport).
But, for what its worth, I bid the ladies good luck. They do have my support.
Wait a second. Woman have "handy dandy seat covers from dispensers over the commode?" I've never seen those in the men's restrooms. That is so unfair. We demand equal rights!
Dorian: Korea has the same hole-in-the-floor setup and I found I preferred them, too. I hate having to sit on the same toilet seat some guy just peed all over so squatting was cleaner. In those rare establishments that did have western-style toilets, they were always filthy and overflowing.
Nothing to do with the mirrors. It has to do with the fact that women have to fight with pantyhose, underwear and skirts and blouses - undoing, untucking, retucking and redoing everything even just to urinate. And if you want to really get down to the truth of it, women often have to change their tampons or pads. Women really DO need twice as many stalls as men. If urinals weren't used, guys would have nearly as long of a line, having to go into the stalls to do everything.
Crying Shame
That has to be the most brilliant post I have ever seen on here ever. And I've seen thousands.
@Crying shame I do understand the problem and think a fix is in order, how about putting the mirrors on a different wall with a shelf, but I'm puzzled by the cell phone part can't people get off the damn phone long enough to pee? the acoustics in restrooms suck. not to mention some of the sound effects.
Ha. That's great.
Oh, you feminist gals, you just get me. On one hand, you demand equality, and on the other hand you demand preferential treatment. If everyone's equal, then deal with the same number of potty places as men. If you can't deal with that, then you're not equal and need to know your place as the weaker sex who must have us men take care of you. We'll put in twice as many potties for you, but in exchange don't expect to be treated equally. You don't get twice as much as we menfolk do, and expect nothing in exchange. If Mother Nature made you different on how you potty, take it up with her. We owe you nothing other than equality (and you take equality, or you leave it - can't have it both ways).
I forgot to mention those hole in the floor toilets do tend to speed the process some. its wise to wear goulashes. I remember a train station where you could wave at the people passing by, that's when you learn control.
This issue needs to be taken up with the proper government department - the Privy Council. :o)
Lol - Jerry - 1903677 - maybe all women should just make sure to have only girl babies. I mean - if you think men really don't need anything from women, especially those 9 horrible months carrying a male child. (A woman's life expectancy decreases with every male child.)
Women can't just whip out something to go the bathroom (lol the image is disturbing) and it get's a little complicated when you have to undo buttons, zippers, untuck shirts, etc. When it's that time of the month, we also have to deal with that issue. I for one, don't use the mirror, but I do use the sink to clean my hands. However, even when the mirrors were hogged by makeup primping baboons, the stalls were the limiting factor, not the square footage in front of the mirror.
I don't want to be a man and I'm sure that most heterosexual men don't want women to be men either. We don't expect 95 yr olds to lift 150 lbs nor do we expect paraplegics to walk but we still treat them as equals. Why do you think women should be as fast as men, given our anatomical constraints? I mean - should women say, we don't want to give birth to boys because they're going to grow up to be sexist bastards. (Just in case you are going to say I need a man to get pregnant - I can go to a sperm bank or hook up to get pregnant, but I have yet to see a man who has ever carried a live child to term.)
@Jerry-1903677 - Oh, you chauvinist guys...It always amuses me when men pull the "you wanted equality" card. If you'll think back, we never got the equality amendment. You don't get to pick and choose which equality you want to give us - Yes, to open your own door, - No, to a seat on a crowded bus, - No, to equal pay for equal work, etc. That's selective equality on male terms only.
Get the government involved and toilets will start costing $900.00 each. or more.
@rob-863765
You beat me to it. Another thing that would help is if they took their purse mirrors, and comb their hair, put on their lipstick, and whatever else you can do in public before you go inside the porta, then you'll be out quicker for the next weak bladdered woman. And to the ladies, you always complain about men leaving the toilet seat up. Think about it, if it's up, we raised it to go piss, so you won't have to sit in anything wet. So in the spirit of equality, why don't you just put the seat back down, making the act more even by both parties. Just another thing an old man has observed in his lifetime......................
Of course men are faster users in a restroom..its just unzip- pull out- leak- bang on wall to dry- push back in- zip up..all done. Unless its a crap they have to do..then its equal as women in time.
@CRYINGSHAME:
Dam**d, you are funny. You ever do stand up. I M rollin. Hey check this out. I think I know why men are quicker in and out. I motorcycle ride around the state, and one thing I noticed in a lot of the cans were these holes drilled out in the toilet stalls, facing the urinals where men drain their hose. Sometimes you see an eyeball looking out, sometimes not. Then you've got the stall with four feet in it, and two of the feet are facing towards each other and sometimes they're facing the same way. Can only wonder. Plus, for some reason the fattest guy within 100 miles picks the can you're in to dump. And you know it's just short of running over. When he's done, he just walks out the front door without even flushing. So yeah, I can understand what you're talking about, butt (pun), the one thing I did want to say is you are by no means ugly, I can tell in the way you word things. You are a dying breed of women. True to yourself, and willing to tell it like it is. I bet you never had to kiss as**..............
install one way see thru mirrors ,that will make the woman hurry up if they think they are being watched :P
what i hate is when I'm at a game and the lines at the women restroom get long they start going in the men's room making us wait but what gets me is that if i went in the women room they would be yelling for police to arrest me.
I was in a bathroom at an airport when a slightly drunk woman in a dress walked in. she backed up to a urinal, pulled up her dress and bent over and did her business without missing a beat or the urinal. To top that off she did it quicker than me. I also seen it done in a bar. Maybe they need to make a womens urinal.
Good idea, I always have to wait for my wife in airports and sometimes at sporting events and concerts the women's lines are so long they miss part of the show.
I guess they could use strattel trenches like they use to use in Japan. Not sure if they still do or not. I was there in 1964 and the bathrooms were co-ed.
So you go to airports and sporting events in China a lot?
Not trying to be a smart ass. I just don't see many women in the U.S. having such problems with public restrooms. Then again, I'm a man so I wouldn't know. And many of the women I know don't seem to complain about restrooms being over crowded.
Mike S - No, you wouldn't know - you obviously hang out in pool halls and don't converse with women.
Mike, many of us in the U.S. are unhappy with inequity in restrooms such as during intermissions at performances when the line for females is quite long and the line for the men is short or does not exist. No women has ever been in my way primping in a mirror and it is time to realize how many more facilities are needed at events for ladies.
You sure you live in America Mike? The long line problem for women is *everywhere*
It is a problem for women worldwide. You are obviously too oblivious to have noticed our distress!
a....rand, no they don't use trench toilets in Japan. I don't think they even use them in China any more (they had them when I was living there in the mid-80's).
Whoa whoa whoa.
No need to start insulting me here. Jeez.
1) Never been to a "pool hall." I'm an 18 year old college student. FFS, I don't even know what a pool hall is.
2) This story is the first time I've heard about public restrooms for women being horrible. I can't be oblivious to a problem I never knew existed. I lived with 2 sisters up until last August. I had 3 girlfriends throughout high school. Never heard them complain about long bathroom lines. Or I just know how to pick'em. ;) (I'm leaning towards the latter) ;D
3) I do live in America. I walk by public restrooms every day before and after classes, at work, at the market. The only time I've ever noticed long lines for restrooms are at school events. But it's like that for both men and women.
I don't know. Maybe the problem varies by state? Haha!
Mike,
Just because you had girlfriends does not mean a.) that you are observant, or b.) that you have a lot of experience with women. In fact, the fact that you had 3 girlfriends in a short period of time and don't know what a pool hall is might suggest just the opposite...
Lines in the women's restrooms are universal, but many of them manage to stay inside the restroom (e.g. restraunts, the mall). Any time where there are a large number of people, the lines multiply exponentially compared to the ones for the men's room. I've been to concerts with intermissions where, if you literally didn't leave the event before the official start of the intermission, you didn't get to use the bathroom before it was time to head back to your seat. This has happened to me frequently, not just once or twice. It IS a real problem.
CJ
Don't know very many teenagers do you? Believe it or not, 3 girlfriends through out high school is nothing. And after looking up what a pool hall is, I've never had any desire to go to one. In fact, the closest public one to me is 30 miles away. So even if I wanted to go, I sure as hell ain't driving 30 miles. I'm not made of gas money.
And lets put concerts aside. I'm really talking about just public restrooms that people use every day. Grocery stores, gas stations etc. Places like that. At those places I've never noticed a problem and never heard anyone complain.
I've been to several concerts myself and everyone complains about the restroom line. Especially at rock concerts where beer is cheap and plentiful. Just for the sake of ending this, I will agree with you that lines in the womens restroom are longer than that of the mens restroom at concerts.
Um, "Some animals are more equal than others."
Have you noticed the average woman in a check out line? She is very vocal about the slowness and obviously impatient.
When at last it's her turn, she begins to dig in her purse for the coupons. Then has to argue because for some reason some do not apply. Then after her conversation with the cashier finally abates, then she finally digs in her purse for her check book, credit card or exact change. You see suddenly, she has all the time in the world, and not the least concerned that the line has grown longer due to her antics.
Is it any wonder that she can't get in and out of a place, that to me is not a pleasing location.
I do notice that many people, mostly women DO wait until they are told the total amount in a store before they dig for their money or card, like it is going to be free! Very irritating to people behind them!
I wouldn't go there, men are just as guilty, esp. if the cashier is cute. But yeah, it kills me to go shopping with my roommate. She has to yak with everyone she sees whether she knows them or not, takes forever to get her payment crap out, and just as long to put it back.
Or to START filling out the check! They know the have to sign & date it, plus write the name of the place on it. They could have that done while that items are being scanned but do they do that NO! LOL They wait until the very end to start writing
If you paid attention, you'd see that such women tend to be watching as the items are scanned. There is something like a 10% error rate with scanning. So, they are trying to make sure they do not get over-charged. But, yes, I tend to go ahead and fill my check out while waiting in line--but not while my items are being scanned.
Still, it makes sense to hate a long wait but then to expect to get attention from the cashier. There usually is more than one register--so if the company opened more lines, everyone could get through without standing in line for an eternity. Lines don't always back up because individuals take "too much time"--they back up because there aren't enough cashiers, also.
beanathome are you implying women cannot multitask such a simple task? RUDE
I don't find it's women so much as older people. They're the ones writing checks.
I agree. It's not a woman thing...it's an old person thing. Male or female, it's ALWAYS going to be the old person holding up a line. Now let's talk about old people driving...oy.
:)
I use to be a cashier. Many elderly people always had to give me correct change. I don't know if they thought I was too stupid to make change, or if they expected some kind of reward for exact change.
bean, the problem is not scanner error in most cases. The error is that the price has not been updated at the shelves but was updated-in most cases automatically-in the database that the register accesses. Now I do have to wait while someone argues a 5 cent non-error for the next 5 minutes.
It is human nature to become annoyed at others' delays and then not be aware of our own but human nature is selfish. I recognize this but am not interested in defending it or hearing others do so. If every single person didn't behave as if he/she is the only person on the planet and everyone else is a hologram designed to make that person's existence realistic maybe we would all get along better.
And by the way, more cashiers mean more overhead for the store and the prices that are flashing on the screen go up and here we are again complaining about 5 cents. In any case, you are paying so please be ready. Thank you.
@ Michael Zhivago...Now wait a min... I have worked in Retail a LONG time, and I will tell you that ALOT of stores have you move the items on the shelf to make it look like it is full, (don't matter that its not in the right place), so when you go to buy that $5.00 item and it scans for $5.05, $5.50 or $7.00 your gonna get upset! Michael, pretend your buying a hammer, you'll get the picture.... But on the other hand you are right, items get updated and the registers dont' get the update, and yes, I also believe Women take longer to shop, because thats what we do..Shop...we look at this price tag, then compare it to the other... Not like men, run in grab it then run out... Unless I"m running in a quick store for a cup of coffee..then move out of my way, I"m a woman on a mission! lol.
I get your point, Shirley but you have me mistaken for someone else. I have not purchased a hammer or anything remotely like that in my entire life!
On the toilets, go right ahead and double the womens' restrooms but please upgrade the Mens' Restrooms. I for one have no interest in using a trough.
Or you could just go where ever you wanted, some countries had a little fenced of area on the corner where you just walked up and piss on a post, women do have it tougher.
Do they still have bars in Europe where you just piss in a trough that runs along the bar? I hope not.
@bonos-rama. Careful friend you will get old some day to, but not to worry cars are starting to drive themselves, that will drive the speeders nuts when their car wont go 20mph over the limit, and they are going to be late for work because they won the battle with the snooze alarm. I can see you now pushing on the dash and beating the window, cussing till you bust a vessel, turning purple, eyes bugging out. yep its an improvement.
LOL!...That's all I can say because you're right.
Who the hell still uses checks anymore? Maybe that's who you should be bitching about, not women in general.
IWonder and Paul Walker, I am a woman, and I do not do this. I always try to be courteous and ready to pay as quickly as possible to help the line move along when I am at the store. I have not noticed other women being any slower at this than men. It's not a gender thing, it's just different personalities and different levels of consideration. Some people are just less aware of who is waiting behind them, or they just don't care. Your sexism is showing!
LOTS of people still use checks these days. It is much easier to keep track of the purchase (I use duplicate checks) in case I forget to write down a debit. Also, when I get my bank statement, instead of just a line item that says "point of sale debit (insert name of store here)", I'll get an actual copy of the check, on which I've noted things like "prescrition for joey" or some other note that identifies it from another purchase from the same location.
As for the rant about the elderly, sometimes it is true that they are slower. Then again, think how they feel when the 20- or 30-somethings go whipping in and out of traffic at indecent speeds, hoping to gain another 2 inches in before someone else gets there first. Why do they want to give exact change? I don't know--maybe because change is heavy to carry around, and they'd prefer not to carry it.
I notice no one mentioned the woman with two or three fussy or screaming babies & toddlers. She's either ignoring them and letting them scream, or attending to them first (for everyone's comfort); nevertheless still slowing down the line. On the other hand, if a father with the same fussy babies and toddlers, and people gush and think how neat it is that a man is doing the shopping withh the kids, so mom can go . . . what, get her hair done?
Nevertheless, we should ALL be able to have clean and adequate restrooms. For them to be clean, that means that EVERY person needs to clean up after themselves--no blood or feces left on the toilet seat, the floor, the handle, etc. Having enough of them depends on the owners of the facilities, and since they aren't "income-generating" areas, like gift or coffee shops, we probably won't see a great increase in the number of available "toilet seats." It would be nice, though, wouldn't it?
Are you people serious? Have some patience for someone else for once. How can you be filled with sucj contempt for others over something so inconsequential? Take a break and let go of your nuerosis, maybe contemplate something a little higher minded instead of grinding people down (not to mention through stereotyping) over something as insignificant as writing a check. Try to see past your own tiny sliver of needs and perception of reality once in awhile. Its not all about you, you ego maniacs!
What do checkout counter have to do with the toilet situation? The original poster on this tread was complaining about women talking in lines, and he goes off topic and digresses...doing the same thing in writing that he was complaining about women doing verbally!!
They need to put mirrors outside womens rooms so they can stand there and look at themselves without holding up the sinks.
Mike S (#4.8). I am not elderly, and I try to give exact change as much as I can for a simple reason - to lessens the weight of my wallet with less coins. Can you imagine if you go shopping in a mall, and you get small change from every shop that you make a cash purchase? So, how else are you going to get rid of them if they only accumulate with no outflow? Let's hear your brilliant idea.
Jesus christ, it isn't because mirrors or because we are chatting, its because we can't just whip it out and do our business. We have to look at the seat to make sure its clean, pull down our pants, sit, change a tampon or pad or empty a cup (3-7 days out of the month!) wipe up, then pull up our pants and then go wash our hands. On the days when im not on my period and there isn't a line, i'm out before my partner is.
Thanks for sharing! Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW!!! That was way beyond my need to know
I can definitely tell you're gay hence the HUGE man hate thing you got going on! You need to seek some help...I doubt any sreious minded guy would EVER have a problem letting a "LADY" go ahead of them. YOU ARE IN SERIOUS NEED OF HELP
Where's the man-hating comment coming from? The point is...it takes a woman longer to use the facilities than it takes a man, AND women are more likely to be taking little children to the bathroom than men are. That takes a lot more time. The bathroom facilities should be in numbers so that men and women have an equal wait to use the facilities. That simply means more toilet stalls for women than for men. It's not a matter of hating men, and I really don't understand why a man would be against this.
When someone uses the term "man-hating" they usually hate women. Just sayin'.
Add to that the fact that healthy hetero males aren't frightened of the idea of a woman menstruating and well, there you go.
Funny really but most places I go you see the lines waiting for the mens room...not the women's room...I always assumed women had enough smarts to use the bathroom before leaving the house but after reading these post I guess I am wrong.
Wow, luvheat, you need to back off the keyboard. There wasn't a single "man hating" thing there, just the facts for we females. I think YOU are the one with the problem, dude.
bonos_rama, exactly how is your comment any different from LuvHeat's? Luv seems to have jumped to several conclusions about tigntink, (And again, the original mirror comment was most likely meant in jest. Breath, tigntink.), and you assume based on very little that LuvHeat is a woman hater. Pot, Kettle, Kettle, Pot.
And what exactly is a 'healthy hetero male'? Are you implying that healthy homosexual males hate women? Or that those hetero males who don't meet your rigorous standards hate women too? Or just that they all live in fear of... Menstruation? Bum, bum, bum, bummmm. In any case if you look below, LuvHeat's comment at 1:24 AM would seem to belie your comments. Maybe you should read and think before you write. Just saying.
W-----------O---------------W
You tell them, Tigntink!
TMI, tingntink! (And I'm a woman!)
Well all those who think it was TMI, apparently there's a lot of men out there who just put blinders to the fact that women menstruate and as someone else pointed out - take care of children.
Yes, I totally understand. I'm a woman, and I have kids too, but not everyone wants to hear the personal details. Just sayin'! BTW, sorry, I misspelled your screen name the first time, I see it's tigntink, not tingntink.
Bring back the female urinal! (Yes, they did exist, back in the '50's!)
even here in the US I would not have, and haven't had a problem with a female outside of a male "facility" asking me to wait for her friend. In a lot of "rest stops" the "facilities" are unisex...On aircraft I don't believe there are individual restrooms, so what's the difference?
Shouldn't be too hard converting mens' facilities to ladies. Most guys just need a trough, or permission to use the nearest tree.
I'm in China presently, and the lines do seem to be worse here than they were in the US. But, I doubt that converting men's restrooms to women's would be realistic. Mostly because the male facilities are more or less the equivalent of peeing on a tree and often times they do use very literal troughs.
I have no idea what's actually going on in the restrooms, but the men's ones are fairly small as well.
Why convert; just share, hell they have doors on the toilets don't they. I can pee at a trough with a women watching, hell in the military at least once a year had got dinged for random golden flows, I've had to have a female watcher a couple times, she just used a mirror.
Ladys need more rest rooms,It does take them longer and they have to pee about two or three times to a males one. Ona road trip you need a ladys room about ten miles apart and a males room about every two hundred miles apart.
Joe,,That depends on how much coffee ya drink!
....or how much beer you drink....
How refreshing to see some egotistical male comments, i.e. remove the mirrors. I wasn't aware there are mirrors in bathroom stalls? I know every public bathroom i've ever been inside only has mirrors at the sinks, and in the handicap stall, with the exception of the single person bathrooms like in gas stations. I do not spend time in front of the mirror, especially when there a large line, for example when I go to Disney. I wash my hands, smooth down my hair, check my makeup to see if my eyeliner has smeared, and go on my way. The problem is not enough toilets in a bathroom to accomodate long lines.
Pamela, pretty sure that was intended in a light-hearted manner. Calm down. (You don't help your point or credibility when you right: "I do not spend time in front of the mirror..." And then immediately follow that up with: "I wash my hands, smooth down my hair, check my makeup to see if my eyeliner has smeared...") Just saying.
@PamelaSchultz:
I do not spend time in front of the mirror, especially when there a large line, for example when I go to Disney. I wash my hands, smooth down my hair, check my makeup to see if my eyeliner has smeared, and go on my way. The problem is not enough toilets in a bathroom to accomodate long lines.
So let's see, you go to the can, you smooth down your hair (in front of mirror?), check your makeup, check your eyeliner, and go on your way. So where is the part where you don't look in the mirror and check yourself out. If your eyeliner smears, then you're gonna fix it, and your makeup if it's f-ed up, so it sounds to me that you're part of the problem.
Even if she did an Oscar-worthy re-do of her hair and make-up in front of that sink, that does NOT affect the lines. It is the toilets, not the sinks. I have never ever seen a line for the sinks. Some of my friends and I would even whip out a compact and touch up lipstick, check for smears, etc. while on b/r lines. You could also read "War and Peace" on many b/r lines so why not? Without getting too icky, what we do in the stall is anatomically much more time-consuming even if we wore skirts commando.
Living China with my Chinese wife, I can tell you that the women wait much longer to relieve themselves of natural fluids and of course need more toilets, more toilet paper and cleaner toilets. Its a concern and it should be addressed by the contractors. At KFC which is a popular toileting stop, I see ten women in line all the time while the mens room fills and empties quickly. Unisex toilets would be a nice start.
Go, go for equality Chinese women.
Gee, I did not know the Chinese were so much like us. They want the government to do everything.
For heaven's sake--if people who are putting up buildings can get away with it, then they use the cheapest materials that will quickly fall apart, which troubles the builders not at all (especially if they can then make money "fixing" the problem). We (a government of the people, by the people, and for the people) came together to require builders to meet certain codes, because otherwise they would not.
There are certain rules about how many bathrooms have to be installed in public buildings--right now, there is parity. This article points out that parity doesn't work because women need more time to use the facilities. Adding a certain number of unisex bathrooms would fix the problem without creating a male backlash because women are getting "more." I don't see a problem with men not wanting to use them (or women)--as one will use it if one has no other choice.
You know--when you say "government," Hercules, remember that this means "we all band together to get something done." Yes, sometimes, we have to band together to get things done because other individuals are not particularly charitable.
I would more than willing to step aside for a lady to go in front of me at the troft!
Women have smaller bladders and....periods!! Duhhhh! Why do you think they have to go so much more often? They have to use the bathroom even when they don't have to pee, hunt for tampons in their purses, then find a way to dispose of them (hopefully not down the toilet). It's messy, it's dirty, it's time-consuming. I don't miss that time of my life, thank God I'm old.
Build more restrooms, or run her over with a tank? What will their fearless leaders do?
That is why you should be banned from all sporting events(except the babes carrying the ring signs or the Dallas cowboy cheerleaders! Remember, you are just a rib! JUST KIDDING! Without you ladies this world would be ugly,clueless, classless and not worth living in! Just like the oBAMA administration!
I have the problem solved...They can all move to SIN-erica, (formerly america) our whole nation is ONE HUGE TOILET.!!! They wont have any problem finding one then.!!!
branxoz If you hate the USA so much you should move your ass some where else. I suggest you try a great country run by religious fanatics (like you are). The world has several religious fanatical countries such Afghanistan or Iran. Move there and see how you love it. I served my country, the USA, for 27 years in the military so that we do not have to be ruled by A$$holes like you. Again if you hate the USA so much GET OUT! We here in the USA really love our freedom and our freedom of religion and do not need you fanatics who want to turn this country into a @!$%# hole ruled by religious fanatics.
Really. Did anyone ever just figure out how long it takes for a given sex on average to use the facilities? Then, figure out that the male female ratio is 50/50, more or less and plan accordingly? Nooooo. Instead, many places, such as sports stadiums actually have MORE male restrooms. Like really, women never GO there?!
Hey Crying shame, my wife has said almost the exact same thing. She said that women could speed things up alot if they really wanted to.
The worst thing a man can do is get into an arguement with a women and win. Give the Ladies what they want
Sammy,,,AMEN!
My experience is only in America, but in the last six months at was at two different sporting arenas in Michigan. The first was Comerica Park, which is the baseball stadium built in 2000 and the second was Joe Louis Arena built in 1979. At Comerica there were no lines extending outside of the bathrooms and the actual space was huge! There had to be at least 20 stalls in the restroom I went in and they are located all over the park. Joe Louis was a different story, the restrooms are more spread out then in the new arenas and there was lines at every single one. Even the guys had lines, but my husband was still done way before me. The restroom I went in had maybe 8 stalls and I guess that was bigger than the one closer to our seats my sister used. Oh and while there were 6 sinks, there was only 2 soap dispensers. So America, at least, has gotten the memo on restrooms needing to be larger. I also think they are also 60/40 now instead of 50/50.
I see nothing wrong with a mother bringing her son in the restroom with her. You are not going to stripping outside of the stall and while it may or may not be safe to send a 10 year old into a bathroom by himself, it's probably not safe for him to stand in the hallway for 10 minutes with all the crazy people out there.
Michigan has had a "potty parity" law for nearly 20 years (Republican Gov. John Engler signed the bill, btw). State law requires 3 X number of toilet stalls for women as for men in public areas such as arenas. Guess what? It's working! The Red Wings are indeed pushing for a new arena to replace Joe Louis. There were huge lines at the ladies' rooms at the old Silverdome, the newer Ford Field has lots of restrooms--and happier women patrons.
Anybody here ever take part in the Occupy the Men's Rooms at Pine Knob in the 1970s and 1980s? We HAD to take them over, we always left one open for the guys, AND the wonderful guys always helped out by blocking the security guards. Pine Knob was doomed as a venue if they hadn't gone ahead with the remodeling that tripled the number of women's restrooms (and made that particular venue more accessible). (Pine Knob = DTE Music Theater, but for some of us, it's still Pine Knob.)
You go, ladies in China! I recommend a sit-down strike!
You ever tried to find a public bathroom in Manhattan?
An Alternate Thought ~
I know this is a bit off the wall, but given the almost universal problem of finding a bathroom in many large cities, it just might behoove a few people to wear some type of adult 'depends' style (ahem) .. undergarment. Then, wherever you are you could just let 'er go while displaying a big smile (or a smirk) on your face.
~ You know, it could be worse, as the old rhyme about it describes:
"In days of old, when knights were bold
And toilets weren't invented,
They laid their load in the middle of the road,
... And walked away contented."
Peace to all
More female bathrooms is not too much to ask.
Time to go back to When all Women's slacks had the Zippers on The Side .
First it's More Stalls, Then Next will be More Mirrors.
Best way to speed things up is To Tape each Females Mouth Shut before allowing them Thru the Bathroom Door .
Your mom must be so proud
I see most people making these comments have not been to China. The areas that even have half way decent Public toilets are in tourists areas. Other than that the rest are concrete block buildings, You walk in and there are holes in the floor in some or just a long troff that you squat over and do your business. There are no stalls just a line of people doing their business. There is no T.P. bring your own. Obviously some people miss the hole and there is piss and @!$%# all over the floor.
No sinks, no mirrors, lucky if there are lights at night. No sewers so these things are sitting on holding tanks you can imagine the smell. I always try to do my business at home, but if I have to pee while I'm out I take 10 yard-1 minute approach. At 10 yards take a deep breath, Hold it. Run into Toilet area, unzip pee-shake once. run outside, zip up. Exhale, Do not inhale until at leaste 10 yards away.
And just think of all the $hit we import from them!
This is a very accurate account : ) The very best toilets I found in China were in tourist areas - such as the botanical gardens of Beijing ( best toilets ever!!!)
The troffs are aweful - I have squatted there myself. Yuck and double yuck.
Lack of toilet paper? Of course. So why can't the Chinese get nice toilet facilities for their people? The lack of adequate toileting is what deters me the most from traveling there again..